The New Canaan Public Schools Department of Food Services is proud to be a leader in the healthy food and nutrition movement. To prepare the daily lunch menu, we maintain the highest standard in staff training, ingredient selection and meal preparation.  Our commitment to fresh, local, sustainable and organic products, whenever possible, is ongoing.

· All vegetables are fresh or frozen, never canned (except tomatoes and olives). 

· All fruits are fresh.

· Our meats, poultry and fish are fresh.

· All food is prepared daily on-site at each school. 

· All entrées exceed the nutritional standards set by the USDA for Child Nutrition Programs.

· All recipes have been developed in-house and analyzed for nutrient content. 

Although the New Canaan Public Schools does not participate in the National School Lunch Program*, we are mindful of maintaining, at the minimum, the recommendations of the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans: 

· Eat a variety of foods;

· Choose a diet with plenty of whole grain products, vegetables and fruits;

· Choose a diet moderate in sugars and salt;

· Choose a diet with 30% or less of calories from fat and less than 10% of calories from saturated fat. 

· Lunches provide, on average for each school week, at least 1/3 of the daily Recommended Dietary Allowances for protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C.  

Our integrative approach to nutrition, which extends beyond the USDA standards, encompasses nutrition theories from a variety of cultures to provide the widest range of healthy options to our students.  

My goal is to use school nutrition to educate, inform and delight students, parents, teachers and administrators. While our first priority is to provide healthy and delicious school lunch at a fair price, I am happy to provide information about emerging nutrition philosophies, share recipes and incorporate cultural food traditions relevant to our curriculum.  

You can reach me (Bruce Gluck, director of food services) directly at 203 594 4668 or bruce.gluck@ncps-k12.org.  With your feedback in mind, my team and I continue to improve our menus, systems and processes.   Thank you for your support. 

* The limitations imposed by the National School Lunch Program would negatively impact the quality of our school lunch offerings.  Therefore, we have not participated for many years.  Participation in the National School Lunch Program by Connecticut schools continues to decline as seen in this chart.