5 Ways to Do K-12 Breakfast Better

2. Lead with Flavor, Follow Guidelines

One of the biggest challenges for K-12 menu planners is balancing craveable flavor and nutrition. The USDA recently released updated nutrition standards with a focus on limiting added sugars and weekly sodium intake. The updates also include a provision that allows schools the freedom to choose whether to offer grains, meat/meat alternatives or a combination of both during school breakfast.

So how do you adhere to guidelines while creating breakfasts students won’t want to miss? Consider building menu items around nutrient-dense ingredients. Peanuts, for example, have more protein per ounce than nuts, and deliver over 30 essential vitamins and minerals students need to fuel their learning.

Second, try outsourcing the nutrition balancing act. By relying on versatile, prepared student-loved products designed with nutritional standards in mind, you can ensure your breakfast program remains compliant and successful.

3. Stretch That Budget

With school meal budgets tightening, it’s hard to know what elements of your program to prioritize. Menu cycling and meat alternatives are a great place to start.

If you don’t already, try planning your menu with a repeatable cycle. For a new breakfast program, two weeks of unique breakfast items that repeat allow for a consistent, efficient ordering pattern while also maintaining student interest. Many schools build in leftovers as a following-day option to utilize any unused ingredients (and satisfy students who loved yesterday’s breakfast enough for a repeat).

Second: while animal protein prices remain high, and egg prices remain historically high, it’s a good idea to invest seriously in alternative proteins. Peanut butter in particular offers affordable flavor that’s craveable among all K-12 age groups, versatile among dayparts and affordable across protein categories. Having an always-there vegetarian option available can also help keep participation high and ordering costs low.

4. Spotlight Sustainability

It’s likely not news to you: younger generations increasingly prioritize sustainability when deciding what kinds of foods they choose to eat. While elementary students may have a harder time grasping the concept of “sustainability,” middle and high school students are more likely than older generations to care about issues related to sustainability—including their food choices.

By highlighting the better-for-the-planet breakfast options and practices for students and parents, you’ll not only tie your menu to real-world student interests, you can make a meaningful impact on the environment.

Do you utilize trays and metal flatware over single-use utensils and containers? Do you have a recycling or composting program? Do you offer low-impact, plant-based alternatives? Consider sharing the positive impact these choices have on the environment so students, parents and staff can make positive, informed decisions at breakfast.

5. Make it Fun

Students want what’s cool, and let’s face it—it’s hard to be cool in the eyes of middle and high schoolers. How do you combat student eyerolling? You can start by offering options students already love. Consider that 67% of schools say brands are important to students.⁷ It may feel like cheating, but it’s okay to have cool friends.

MOST POPULAR PB&J⁸

Next: set yourself up for summer feeding success! Summer programming often demands grab-and-go friendly options. Offering prepackaged sandwiches that students (and staff) love will amp up the cool factor during the hottest months.

Finally: strategically break that menu cycle you’ve been working on. Keep an eye on food trends, especially in restaurants, that students are eager to try out. Promoting relevant food holidays on social media can also get students excited to “celebrate” with an old standby or entirely new creation of yours.

Students, parents, school administrators and researchers all agree: breakfast is an essential part of the school day. By offering nutritious, affordable and easy-to-serve options like Uncrustables sandwiches for K-12, you can create a program that not only meets nutritional needs but also maximizes participation and satisfaction.

Ready to revitalize your breakfast program? Reach out to your Smucker Away From Home representative today for all kinds of support and kid- and parent-approved breakfast ideas.

¹No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices. (n.d.). “Ending Childhood Hunger: A Social Impact Analysis” https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/programs/school-breakfast/how-school-breakfastbenefits-Kids

²United States Department of Agriculture. 2022. Make Breakfast First Class. https://www.fns.usda.gov/sbp/make-breakfast-first-class.

³No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices. (n.d.). “How School Breakfast Benefits Kids”. https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/programs/school-breakfast/how-school-breakfastbenefits-kids.

⁴Pannell-Martin, Dorothy and Julie Boettger. School Food & Nutrition Service Management for the 21st Century. 6th Edition., 2014.

⁵CA Department of Food and Agriculture: Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Michigan MM, University of Alabama: and USDA. Limitations include the quality and availability of data.

⁶Water Footprint Calculator, The Water Footprint of Food Guide, https://watercalculator.org/water-footprint-of-food-guide/

⁷Technomic, Generational Consumer Trend Report, 2018.

⁸NPD Supply Track 12 months ending August 2022. *Meets 1 meat alternate and Smart Snacks when served with a fruit or vegetable. Smucker’s Uncrustables sandwiches qualify as a Smart Snack when menued at breakfast or lunch on the day of or the day following menuing.

**Certified NSF Non-GMO True North by NSF International, an independent accredited organization. The NSF Non-GMO True North standard was created to ensure the integrity of non-GMO claims.