SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE

The School Food Service Program is a part of the development of public education.  Ellen H. Richards, a well-known home economist, deserves much of the honor for the beginning of the school-feeding program in 1894 and parent-teacher organizations deserve great credit for promoting these programs.  School food service began in some Louisiana schools by the 1920’s; many changes have occurred since then.

The depression years of the 1930’s found surplus food, which could not be sold, going to schools and public institutions as one method of providing a market for agricultural commodities.  At this time the federal government initiated a food assistance program to schools.

The National School Lunch Act was passed by Congress in 1946, establishing school food service as an integral part of the United States educational system.  Specifically, the Congress declared that the objective of the National School Lunch Act is to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s Children – and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other food.  Nutritional standards for Type A lunches were developed and established on the basis of authoritative knowledge of food needs of school children.

School Food Service operated with funds and USDA donated foods continually under the National School Lunch Act of 1946 until 1966 when it was amended and the Child Nutrition Act was passed.  This act institutes and financed the Breakfast, and Free and Reduced Price Meal Programs.  Numerous amendments have been added to the National School Lunch and Child Nutrition Acts.

Congress has declared in the National School Lunch Act that it be a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s Children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other food, by assisting the states, through grants-in-aid and other means, in providing an adequate supply of foods and other facilities for the establishment, maintenance, operation, and expansion of non-profit school lunch programs.

The Child Nutrition Act authorized the appointment of funds to the states to assist them in initiating, maintaining, or expanding non-profit Breakfast Programs in schools, and to supply to schools drawing attendance from areas in which poor economic conditions exist, equipment for the storage, preparation, transportation, and serving of food.

There are certain Basic Beliefs which should be recognized and accepted in the development of the school food service program.  Present practices and trends indicate that educators and the public generally agree that nutritionally adequate school food service programs are an essential part of the education program and many teachers are helping children grow through school food service experiences.  These Basic Beliefs are:

--School food service is an integral part of the school program.

--School food service is a nutrition program.  Every child should have available a lunch which provides a minimum of 1/3 of the child’s daily nutritional needs and breakfast that provides 1/4 of daily nutritional needs.

--School food service is a health laboratory; it should be recognized for the educational opportunities that can be used to enrich classroom experiences.

--The nutritional value of school food service should be safeguarded.  Foods and beverages that contribute to the child’s nutritional needs and development of desirable food habits should be available.

--School food service and nutrition education must recognize individual differences in children.

--Well-trained personnel are the key to a successful food service program.

--School food service must be efficiently organized, administered, and operated on a sound nutritional, educational and financial basis by qualified personnel.

--Adequate facilities must be provided to have efficient operation with proper sanitary and safety practices.

--School food service success depends upon full support and cooperation from all administrative levels of the school system.

--School food service progress depends upon continued evaluation, direction, and improvement to ensure that the program fulfills student needs.

--School food service programs benefit from student involvement and community understanding, cooperation, and support.

CURRENT YEAR 2005-2006

Number of Food Service Departments…………………………………………….. 35

Number of Food Service Satellite Programs……………………………………….   4

Number of Employees:

            Director…………………………………………………………………….    1

            Accountant…………………………………………………………………    1

            Secretary…………………………………………………………………...    1

            Manager Coordinator………………………………………………………    1

            Computer Coordinator……………………………………………………..    1

            Billing Clerks………………………………………………………………    5

            Managers…………………………………………………………………..   35

            Production Managers………………………………………………………  13

            Technician 7 Hour………………………………………………………… 156

            Technician 4 Hour…………………………………………………………   63

            TOTAL……………………………………………………………………  276

SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE

FISCAL YEAR 2004-2005 DATA

Livingston Parish Public Schools Central Office is located in Livingston, Louisiana.
It is a K-12 public school district comprised of 40 schools and 22,236 students.
The purpose of this site is to support the efforts of our teachers and staff as they attempt to
improve student learning through the use of technology. 
Your comments or suggestions are welcome!!