1. Waste Reduction Program
Training For
Food Services Staff
Offer vs Serve
Save It For Later
Food Donation
TELL: Hello Café LA staff, and welcome to Food Services Division’s newest training that discusses our Waste Reduction Program we’re now implementing.
September 12, 2016

2. Improving The Program It Encompasses 3 Programs
The Waste Reduction Initiative is a response to many concerns around “Reducing Food Waste”
It Encompasses 3 Programs
Offer vs Serve at Breakfast, BIC and Lunch
Save It For Later (SIFL)
Food Donation Program
TELL: This program has been improved in it’s design to respond to the many concerns of food waste. Our goal is to reduce food waste by encompassing 3 programs; Offer versus serve during breakfast and lunch, save it for later, and our food donation program. We’ll go over the 3 aspects that is sure to reduce waste across the district.

3. Breakfast Offer vs Serve
Offer vs Serve (OVS) at BIC and Breakfast allows students to:
Select at a minimum of 3 different ‘d items, of which must be fruit item
Reduce waste
TELL: Offer versus serve will take place during breakfast and lunch, for today’s training we will only focus on breakfast which pertains to your involvement. During breakfast students will see our menus that will have a star listed next to every item. Now all students need is to select a minimum of 3 different star items with a minimum of 1 being a fruit. This means waste will be reduced by students who will no longer need to select 1 of each item on the menu in order to be a complete meal. So again, just a 3 star minimum with 1 being a fruit.

4. Save It For Later Breakfast Posters
FS Managers will receive 1 “Save it For Later” poster for each classroom.
The blank area of the poster is where the monthly menu should be posted
Monthly menus will be delivered to classrooms at the start of every month
Tell: In order to help communicate to our students Food Services has created our save it for later alligator poster which will showcase our monthly menu. These new posters will be given to each classroom with a space for the monthly menu to be posted on. We ask that teachers please place these posters in a visible location in your classrooms as we all work together to decrease waste.

5. OVS and Save It For Later Breakfast Posters
Students at a minimum must select 3 different starred items, at least 1 of which must be a Fruit
Food items marked with an “S” may be saved for later if selected by students
Tell: When seeing that monthly menu, a student will be able to take a look at a specific day and know what items they can select. Remember a minimum of 3 different star items must be selected with at least 1 being a fruit item. The S that you see located next to the menu item will show students what items are safe for them to save and eat a later time.

6. PA Announcements Examples:
Principals are asked to inform and encourage to:
Make daily morning and afternoon PA announcements
Scripted options are available in the SIFL toolkit
Examples:
Morning Announcement
“Good morning (insert school name or mascot), todays “Save It for Later” breakfast items are the Cheerios and the fresh apple. You can save these items to eat later in the day or during recess.”
TELL: A big part of reducing waste is to communicate to students what options they have. Doing so will allow them to become more familiar with how to select a meal. We have provided very useful PA announcement scripts that are available for morning and afternoon announcements. Examples can be seen here.
Afternoon Announcement
“Hello Superstars! The new cafeteria menu features stars next to each menu item. Students are required to choose at least a 3 different starred items; one of those stars must be a fruit. Choose your superstar meal!”

7. BIC Reminders Successful BIC Program Criteria
The pre-selection of meals and placing them on desks is not allowed
Check marks next to student’s names on the roster indicate that a reimbursable meal (a minimum of 3 different items of which 1 is a fruit) was selected
A dash mark indicates a student is absent/not participating.
All items not selected by students must remain in the BIC Bag and be returned to the cafeteria.
This is a critical point for reducing waste and allows for potential donations to non-profit organizations
All items left on the sharing table after breakfast meal service must be discarded and not saved or returned to cafeteria.
TELL: Here are a few reminders to ensure a successful BIC program. The pre-setting out of meals for students on their desks is not permitted, students must select their own meal, and the roster must be marked immediately using a check mark when a meal is taken and a dash mark if a child is absent or not participating for the day. It is also important to note that not all children are required to participate in BIC, and all unserved meals are to remain in the BIC bags and be returned back to the cafeteria. BIC should be served during the schools designated serving time only and not saved for late arriving students.

8. Lunch Offer vs Serve Offer vs Serve (OVS) at lunch allows students to:
Fruit
Offer vs Serve (OVS) at lunch allows students to:
Choose from 5 components offered
Fruit, Vegetables, Grains, Meat/Meat Alternate, Milk
3 full components must be selected
1 component must be a fruit or vegetable
Vegetables
M/MA
Grain
TELL:
Milk

9. Lunch Save It For Later
Similar to breakfast, students will have the option of saving select items on the lunch menu.
Food items marked with an “S” may be saved for later if selected by students as a part of their reimbursable meal.
TELL:

10. Lunch Reminders Successful Lunch Program Criteria
Pre-selecting meals for students is not allowed
A reimbursable meal (minimum of 3 components of which 1 is a fruit or vegetable) is selected
Encourage students to take only what is required for a reimbursable meal, if the other items are not going to be eaten. This will reduce waste
Unopened items may be placed on the sharing table for those students who wish to have extras
All items prepared in the cafeteria but not served to students may be donated to non-profit organizations provided they can not be used later.
TELL: Here are a few reminders on how to run a successful BIC program in the classroom. The pre-setting out of meals for students on their desks is not permitted, students must select their own meal, and the roster must be marked immediately using a check mark when a meal is taken and a dash mark if a child is absent or not participating for the day. It is also important to note that not all children are required to participate in BIC, and all unserved meals are to remain in the BIC bags and be returned back to the cafeteria.

11. Sharing Table 2 Implementation Steps in Setting Up the Sharing Tables:
Designate a Breakfast “sharing table” in classrooms or eating area (for Grab-N-Go sites)
Setting up a Lunch “sharing table” in the eating area
Items already selected by students to meet the reimbursable meal requirements may be placed here for others wishing to have seconds
Items on the sharing tables may be selected by others students to eat at a later time on campus
NOTE: All items left on the sharing table after breakfast meal service must be discarded and not saved or returned to cafeteria.
TELL: Part of our save it for later process is the implementation of the sharing table to be incorporated during the BIC and Lunch process. Once students meet the meal requirements needed by selecting their 3 item minimum it is up to them whether or not to place an item they do not wish to eat on the sharing table where another student can select items from the sharing table and eat at a later time on campus. Please remember that all items left on the sharing table after breakfast meal service must be discarded and not saved or returned to the cafeteria.

12. Q & A – Some Commonly Asked Questions
Q: With multiple fruits and/or vegetables listed on the menu, how many
can students take?
A: Students must select at least 1 fruit or vegetable or they may select as
many as 1 of each fruit and/or vegetable offered on the menu.
Q: What do I do if there are items remaining on the sharing table in my
classroom or in the outside eating area?
A: The items will need to be discarded. They may not be given to others or donated.
Q: How long can students keep item that are indicated with an “S”?
A: To ensure safety, it is recommended that all items other than whole fruit be consumed within two hours after service.
Q: Who do I notify if I have concerns?
A: Please contact your Cafeteria Manager or Area Food Services Supervisor.
Visit our website at for a full list of
Questions and Answers on the Waste Reduction/SIFL Programs.
TELL: Here you can find some commonly asked questions in regards to our new waste reduction program being implemented district wide. We also have the full extended list on our food services website. Feel free to use this as a valuable resource when implementing at your school site.

13. LAUSD Food Donation Program
The Healthy Students, Healthy Families, and Healthy Communities Resolution – passed April 12, 2011
Introduced by Ex-Board Vice President Dr. Richard Vladovic, and cosponsored by other Board Members
Allows the District to donate excess food that meets federal regulations, to needy families and children (through Non-Profit Organizations).
The donations will be limited to packaged food items that have not been served to children as a part of the District’s school meals program.
To setup a new food donation process at your school: 
Let your Cafeteria Manager know that you are interested in beginning the process
Utilize the agencies already approved on the Café LA Website at OR
Contact the agency of your choice and direct them to Food Services for information, paperwork and approval procedures
TELL: Our final implementation to reduce waste is our setup process for a new food donation process at your school. First you should let your Principal know that you are interested in beginning the process, then utilize the agencies already approved on the Café LA Website at OR contact the agency of your choice and direct them to Food Services for information, paperwork and approval procedures.

14. QUESTIONS? Your local Food Services Team is available to assist you with implementing the Waste Reduction Program
TELL: We thank you for the jobs you all do everyday in serving our students. We know the degree of commitment you all have to ensuring these students are well prepared everyday, and we thank you for your continued effort to give students the nourishment needed to achieve excellence. Any questions you have can be directed to the Food Service Manager at your school site or Area Food Services Supervisor. Have a great day.