Salem Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Welcomes You!
We are so happy that your student will join us for breakfast and lunch in our cafeterias and classrooms daily.
The Salem Food and Nutrition Service seeks to inspire students to love healthy foods and learn to recognize and choose well-balanced meals so they will develop healthy habits for life. When students start the day with a healthy meal, they are more likely to retain what they learn in class, behave better, and experience better health outcomes. Today’s healthy and well-educated students will be our striving and strong community tomorrow. We care deeply about the well-being of every student. We put our hearts into everything we do, from cooking all our meals from scratch to educating kids about healthy eating. We source as much of our food as possible from local farms and process all the raw ingredients ourselves.
About Us
Who We Are
Our team consists of hard working, dedicated staff members that are passionate about serving nutritious, and delicious meals to our students so that they can thrive in and out of the classroom.
What We Do
The Food and Nutrition Services team operates in 8 of our school sites, and servicing all 11 schools throughout the district. We are committed to serving scratch cooked, fresh nutritious meals every day to every student. To the extent that we can, we source our ingredients from local vendors to ensure the freshest food possible. Breakfast and Lunch is provided at no cost to every student. At most sites, breakfast is provided in the classroom or at a grab and go station at the entrance to ensure all students have access to a healthy start.
Free School Meals are available for All Salem Public Schools Students for the 23-24 School Year! Learn more here:
View more photos and keep up to date on special events by following the SPS FNS social media pages:
Frequently Asked Questions
Salem is a CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) school district. What is CEP?
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas. CEP allows the Salem School district to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications.
CEP is a meal service authorized under the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA). Our meals are at no charge for all students because we know that good nutrition helps students’ attendance, behavior, and academic achievement.
What are the basic meal requirements?
The National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program requirements are designed to provide age-appropriate meals to specific age/grade groups. For grades K-12, school breakfast and lunch are also limited in sodium, calories, saturated fats, and trans fats to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
The School Breakfast Program requires three food components, each with daily and weekly minimums including:
- Fruits (vegetables may be offered in place of fruit)
- Grains (meats/meat Alternates may be offered in place of grains)
- Milk
The NSLP requires five food components, each with daily and weekly minimum (below), including:
- Fruits
- Vegetables (including a grades K-12 weekly requirement for vegetable variety with minimum requirements for each of the 5 vegetable subgroups, including dark green, red/orange, beans/peas (legumes), starchy, and “other” vegetables)
- Grains
- Meats/meat alternates
- Milk
What if my child has a disability? Are schools required to make menu substitutions for children who cannot eat the regular lunch or breakfast?
Federal law and the regulations for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program require schools to make accommodations for children who are unable to eat the school meal as prepared because of a disability. Meal modifications may include offering an alternative to a food that a child is allergic to, altering the consistency of a food component to facilitate feeding, or supporting the child during the meal service so they may participate in the meal.
In order to make substitutions, the school must have a written statement signed by a licensed physician indicating what the child’s disability is, what foods must be omitted from the child’s diet, and what foods must be substituted.
What if my child has a food allergy?
Health and safety are our top priorities. Our kitchen managers and staff are trained in preventing food allergies and cross-contact contamination. Our kitchens and meals are peanut- and tree nut-free. Access to our kitchens and food storage is highly secured to ensure food safety and allergen control.
If your child has a food allergy, please work with your school’s nurse to document the allergy.
Programs
Harvest of The Month
Harvest of the Month is a great opportunity to celebrate local abundance, experiment with new foods and recipes, and get some positive recognition for your school district and/or school. The program’s goal is to encourage healthy food choices by increasing students’ exposure to seasonal foods while also supporting local farmers and building excitement about school meals.
The harvest of the month for January is Apples!
Learn more about apples and view past harvest of the month facts sheets here
School Breakfast Program
Eat Breakfast with us! The School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a federally-assisted meal program operating in public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions. The SBP started in 1966 as a pilot project, and was made a permanent entitlement program by Congress in 1975. School districts and independent schools that choose to participate in the Program must serve breakfast meals meeting Federal nutrition requirements. School breakfast must meet the applicable recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and are designed to ensure that students enter the classroom well-nourished and ready to learn.
Learn about school breakfast benefits here:
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National School Lunch Program
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.
After School Snack Program – The afterschool snack component of the National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted snack service that fills the afternoon hunger gap for school children. The snack service is administered at the Federal level by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. At the state level, it is administered by state agencies, which operate the snack service through agreements with local school food authorities (SFAs). SFAs are ultimately responsible for the administration of the snack service.
Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program
The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a federally assisted program providing free fresh fruits
and vegetables to children at eligible elementary schools during the school day. The goal of the FFVP is to introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables, to include new and different varieties, and to increase
overall acceptance and consumption of fresh, unprocessed produce among children. The FFVP also encourages healthier school environments by promoting
nutrition education. To learn more, visit the FFVP webpage and the Salem Public schools FFVP nutrition education resource page for fruit and vegetable fact sheet and activity pages! SPS FFVP Resources
Summer Food Service Program (Summer Eats)
Summer Eats is a totally free-of-charge program that provides free meals to all kids and teens, ages 18 and under, at locations all across Massachusetts during the summer months. The program is sponsered by Project bread. Learn more about project bread and the summer eats program here: https://www.projectbread.org/summer-eats-program
Careers
SPS Food and Nutrition Services is currently hiring! Come Work with us. The following positions are currently open:
Cafeteria Helpers – $18.16/Hour, 3, 4 and 6 hour shifts
Head Cooks – $25.72/Hour, 4 and 6 hour shifts
Minimum Qualifications: High School Diploma (or equivalent) Ability to lift a minimum of 30 pounds Enjoy working with children Good organizational and communication skills Sense of pride in serving healthy, nutritious meals
How to Apply Visit https://salem.tedk12.com/hire or call 978-740-1230
Salem Public Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer
For more information, contact:
Point of Contact: Irvelt Perrin, Director of Food and Nutrition Services
Located at: Salem High School — 77 Willson Street, Salem, MA, 01970
Telephone Number: (978)-740-1230
Email Address: iperrin@salemk12.org
USDA NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil
rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions
participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on
race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights
activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program
information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact
the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of
hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at
(800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other
than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination
Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: How to File a Complaint, and at any USDA office,
or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in
the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed
form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.