February 6, 2013 – The purpose of the first ever International School Meals day is to raise awareness about the importance of teaching children around the world about good nutrition, to foster healthy eating habits in school and at home, and to share policies, practices, and research between countries.

School cafeterias across the country and the world can get involved. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Have an International Menu Day
• Have international food tasting sessions or other fun food activities
• Hold cooking classes with an international theme
• Plan fundraising activities for charities which support school feeding programs in developing countries
• Incorporate global citizenship and food culture into classroom learning
• Partner with a school in another country and discover different food cultures
• Send a message home to parents about the day or include information on your menus
• Use Facebook and Twitter to promote the day. The Twitter hash tag is #ISMD2013
• Highlight innovations and successes from your school cafeterias

Find out more about International School Meals Day at www.internationalschoolmealsday.com.

We encourage all nations and all schools taking part to work together to make the day fun, and a staple of the education calendar, celebrating the wonder of food and fostering healthy eating patterns in school age children.

About International School Meals Day
International School Meals Day is part of an evolving relationship between the UK and USA on policy and practices in promoting healthy eating in schools. Partner agencies in USA and UK supporting the principles of ISMD include:

USDA, School Nutrition Association, Global Child Nutrition Foundation, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly, Northern Ireland School Caterers Association, Local Authorities Caterers Association, Association of Service Solutions in Scotland, Association for Public Service Excellence, Children’s Food Trust, Food For Life, BBC World Class, British Council, Education Foundation, Children in Scotland, Education Scotland, Marys Meals.

February 5, 2013 – School nutrition is a highly complex foodservice segment, and it’s more than a little challenging for anyone new to this profession or industry to get up to speed quickly. SNA’s Little Big Fact Book: The Essential Guide to School Nutrition can help.

This comprehensive overview features facts and figures about the federal programs, USDA Foods, the school market and a variety of hot topics. And the 2013 edition has been developed to reflect the latest at-press-time changes. From the implications of new nutrition standards to the variations in school district administration, this 40-page resource is a must-have for new foodservice directors/managers, school administrators, foodservice brokers, manufacturer marketing/sales teams, state/national legislators and media representatives.

The latest edition will be released in a few short weeks, but if you order online today, you can purchase your copy at a special pre-release discount price of just $15! This limited-time offer is good only until March 4. Visit www.schoolnutrition.org/bookstore to place your web order today.