A man with a healthy schedule: Welcoming FCPS’ new head of food and nutrition services

FNS is developing new hot breakfast sandwiches and fresh fruit and yogurt for students starting their school day.

For lunch, there will be 12 new items this fall alone. New items include Black Bean Burger, Chicken Parmesan Sandwich, Chicken Fajitas, Cumin Meatball Marinara, Garden Fresh Veggie Bun, and Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Offerings also include a vegetarian wrapadilla inspired by a group of Franklin Middle School students who won last year’s school lunch recipe contest coordinated by our partners, Real Food for Kids.

In the coming months, we will be Sawko said they are introducing new menu options to our schools that focus on plant-based proteins that are more inclusive of our vegan, vegetarian, kosher and halal families. It is important that our menu reflects the students we serve as well as providing maximum access to fresh, local fruits and vegetables in our meals.

The menu changes follow another FCPS initiative that will ensure each of our schools has a salad bar in their cafeteria this year. Sawko also plans to deepen its relationships with local farms and producers as the district plans to showcase the concept of farm-to-table eating in our schools and bring cooking to all schools.

“We know, and research supports it, that students learn better when they have access to healthy food,” said FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid. Last year, Food and Nutrition Services served more than 18 million meals to our students, nearly 60,000 of whom qualified for free or reduced-price meals. I am so grateful to Sean and our entire Food Services and Nutrition team for ensuring that our students start and end their days well-nourished.

Sawko said the student voice will also be central to the changes. In November, Sawko and his team will invite more than 200 students from elementary, middle and high schools to test 30 different menu concepts at a showcase event in Fairfax County.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to change the way we serve the nutritional needs of our students,” she said.