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Our Commitment to Quality

What we strive for:

  • Providing well-balanced meals to students regardless of their ability to pay.
  • Maintaining high sanitation and safe food handling standards.
  • Offering mandatory employee training on all aspects of food selection, purchasing and preparation.
  • Complying with federal, state, and local health department laws and regulations.
  • Conducting on-going nutritional analysis of student food choices.
  • Redesigning menus to include foods with less sodium, sugar, fat, and saturated fat.
  • Promoting the link between nutrition education, physical activity and living a healthy lifestyle.

cafeteria worker prepares lunch tray for students

Entree Specifications

  • USDA Chicken Products
  • Commodity Distribution Program Beef Products
  • Fish is White Fish for Baking
  • Tuna is Light, Packed in Water
  • Cheese on Pizza Products is Low-fat Mozzarella
  • Reduced-fat USDA Cheese

Bread Specifications

  • Whole Grain Rolls and Bisquits Baked in School Kitchens
  • Multi-grain Breads
  • Whole-grain, Non-sweetened Cereals
  • Age-appropriate Sized Bagels and Muffins
  • Whole-grain Pasta
  • Whole-grain Pizza Crust
  • Fruit and Vegetable Specifications

Milk Specifications

Watch a video on our stardards for milk storage and preparation→

  • Fat-free White, Chocolate (lunch only) or Strawberry (lunch only) Milk
  • 1% White Milk

Purchasing Specifications

  • Meat Produced in USDA Federally Inspected Plants
  • USDA Grade A Potatoes
  • First Quality Frozen Vegetables
  • U.S. #1 Fresh Vegetables
  • Whole Wheat Pasta Products
  • Whole Grain Pizza Crust, Rolls and Biscuits
  • 100% Fruit Juice Only
  • Fat-free, Low-fat and Low-sodium Condiments
  • Low-sodium Gravy Mixes and Soup Bases
  • No Trans Fats in Foods

Fruit and Vegetable Specifications

  • Salad Bars Include Fresh Fruit and Vegetables (part of all middle and high school lunches)
  • First Quality Frozen Vegetables
  • 100% Fruit Juice and Fruit Smoothies
  • Canned Fruit – Packed in Light Syrup
  • Fresh Fruit – 3 or 4 Daily Choices
  • Milk Specifications

Buying from Local Businesses

Not only is it good for local businesses, it’s great for the environment. Transporting products from these nearby food companies to our schools uses less resources than buying from out-of-state businesses.

Milk: Dairy Maid – Frederick, MD

Bread: Schmidt’s – Fullerton and Fells Point, MD

Produce: Bowie, MD

Ice Cream: Briggs – Laurel, MD

Canned/Frozen Fruits & Vegetables: MD & PA

Flour: Ellicott City, MD

McCormick Spices: Hunt Valley, MD

Tortillas: Abuelito – Northern, VA

Tyson & Perdue Chicken: Eastern Shore, MD

Domino Sugar: Baltimore, MD

Knouse Food: Bigglerville, PA

Thomas English Muffins: Frederick, MD

Hadley Farms: Hagerstown, MD

Shell Eggs: Maryland

How we prepare our foods

All of the food we prepare for the meals program is prepared in our school kitchens and many menu items are made from scratch. Standard USDA recipes are used in cooking and are student tested for taste and consistency. Our entrees, including chicken and turkey products, are baked or oven-roasted and our vegetables are steam cooked

Pizza is made with low-fat mozzarella cheese and low-sodium tomato products. Other menu items and recipes use reduced-fat chees, low-fat and low-sodium gravy or soup bases that contain 2% or less fat calories.

Menu items made from scratch:

  • Baked Chicken
  • Macaroni and Cheese
  • Chicken Parmesan
  • Lasagna
  • Tacos
  • Spaghetti
  • Sloppy Joe
  • Baked Ziti
  • Soups
  • Mashed Potato Bowls
  • Turkey Pot Pie
  • Enchiladas
  • Oriental Stir Fry
  • Quesadilla
  • Hot Turkey Sandwich
  • Wraps
  • Melts
  • Salads