Resources
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The Lunch Box’s Resources section is the central library for all resource tools developed by The Lunch Box team and those shared by other School Food experts around the country. It is a wellspring of tools including evaluations, grant finding and writing tools, feasibility studies, case studies, Farm to School resources and more so you can consider and begin to take action to transform your school district’s food program from a highly processed to a scratch-cooking environment.
Featured Article
Salad Bars in the National School Lunch Program (Revised Memo)
This revision includes updates based on the revised nutrition standards for school meals and includes questions and answers.
Alliance for a Healthier Generation Product Calculator
A useful calculator that helps your school purchase healthy snacks under Alliance for a Healthier Generation competitive food guidelines (similar to USDA proposed guidelines).
Alliance for a Healthier Generation Product Navigator
Need to search for healthy competitive foods that follow the necessary guidlines? Here's your resource - a product navigator that compiles companies who have agreed to offer snacks under the Alliance for Healthier Generation rules.
American Farmland Trust
"American Farmland Trust is the nation's leading conservation organization dedicated to saving America’s farm and ranch land, promoting environmentally sound farming practices and supporting a sustainable future for farms."
American Grassfed Association
"On June 11, 2003, a group of producers, food service industry personnel and consumer interest representatives established the American Grassfed Association (AGA). The goal of the association is to promote the grassfed industry through government relations, research, concept marketing and public education."
Animal Feeding Operations
"Potential effects of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) on the quality of surface-water and ground-water resources and air quality is a national issue of immediate concern that requires science-based assessment and response... Scientists, resource managers, animal producers, and environmental advocates from the public and private sectors met in Ft. Collins, Colo., August 30 - September 1, 1999, to address the complex issues of the effects of CAFOs on water resources and the environment."
Annie's Grants for Gardens
About the Program:
Gardens are places for kids to connect to real food, explore new flavors and talk about where our food comes from. For many years, we’ve offered Grants for Gardens donations to schools and other educational programs that help put children in direct contact with growing real food. In 2011, we offered funding to more than 150 gardens.
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP)/ Mountain Partners In Agriculture (MPIA)
"Our mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food."
Assessing School Breakfast Potential: From the USDA
"Analyze Your Current Program and Identify Strategies to Expand School Breakfast
Participation in the School Breakfast Program is important – primarily as a way to help meet the nutritional needs of students, but also to help schools receive maximum reimbursement and run a successful program. This section will help you build a School Breakfast expansion team, identify strengths and barriers to increasing participation, create an action plan to address program improvements, and incorporate marketing strategies to make school breakfast healthier and more appealing to students."
Available USDA Foods
Comprehensive list of foods available for the 2012 school year through USDA Foods