Local school districts must comply with an increasing amount of state and federal requirements in regard to the food served to students. Rather than just meet these governmental requirements, however, some local school districts are taking additional steps in their effort to provide healthy and nutritious food to their students in a cost-effective manner. For example, one school district in Maryland has instituted a “Meatless Monday” program as part of its overall effort to improve the quality and nutritional value of food served to its students. Similarly, the New York City public school system has implemented a program under which its chefs are cooking more food, rather than just reheating processed foods; satisfying both students and parents. Both programs aim to serve healthier food to students and save the school district money–two laudable goals that make these innovative programs worth watching. For additional information, please click here and here.