5 things: Remote learning options curtailed at largest school districts this fall

In this edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments affecting onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

Even as COVID-19 infections continue to fluctuate, roughly one-third of the country’s largest school districts are ending their remote learning programs this fall, according to a new review by the Center on Reinventing Public Education. Another third are continuing longstanding programs that had been in place before schools shuttered, and the remaining third are operating new virtual programs created during the pandemic, the review found.

Read more: Many Remote Learning Options Shutting Down as School Reopens for Fall 2022

University of Nebraska Dining has added a new gluten-free café called Moxie’s at its Selleck Food Court, where diners can enjoy customized gluten-free selections like pizzas, noodle bowls, sandwiches, salads and desserts as part of their meal plan or with credit card payment through the Transact Mobile Ordering app. Moxie’s joins a list of dining options and useful resources for students with allergen sensitivities and meal preference needs, such as the 8 allergen-free line in the Harper Dining Center, which serves foods that do not contain any of the top nine allergens or gluten, and the Global Fresh line in the Abel Dining Center, with its wide assortment of vegan and vegetarian options.

Related:5 tech things: Chartwells plans 100 autonomous retail stores on campuses

Read more: Gluten-free restaurant open in Selleck

Aramark Services Inc. misclassified food service managers as exempt from state and federal overtime pay requirements, a would-be collective suit alleges in federal court in Ohio. LaTrecha Rice regularly works more than 40 hours per week for the food, facilities, and uniform services company, but Aramark doesn’t pay an overtime premium for her extra hours, according to the complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

Read more: Aramark Owes Food Service Managers Overtime Pay, Lawsuit Says

In a sign of the growing food-as-medicine and home-delivered healthy meals trends, health plan benefits firm NationsBenefits has announced an agreement to acquire DeliverLean, one of the country's largest food manufacturers specializing in health and wellness, as part of its strategic vision to expand its healthy foods benefit offering to meet the ever-growing needs of health plans with Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans. With a growing demand for home-delivered, nutritionally focused products such as groceries, fresh produce, and prepared meals, NationsBenefits says it can help Medicare beneficiaries achieve better health and wellness by providing them with convenient and easy-to-use products.

Related:5 things: New York City schools go meatless on Mondays and Fridays

"The DeliverLean team has created the best healthy, prepared meals solution in the market," said NationsBenefits Founder/CEO Glenn M. Parker, M.D. "By joining forces and expanding our healthy foods suite of solutions, this enhances our strategy of using supplemental benefits to improve member outcomes."

Read more: NationsBenefits to Acquire DeliverLean, a Premium Prepared Meals Company, to Advance its Food as Medicine Platform

Confusion surrounded the cafeteria in the first days of the fall 2022 semester at Fullerton College, a public community college in California, as an unannounced change to the free meal program left students paying for meals they thought would be free. Student ID cards will now be needed to receive free meals in the cafeteria. Since fall 2021, students could walk into the cafeteria and type in their ID number to receive a free meal, but this year, they will be credited with $12 each day to use in the Campus Dining Hall and the credit will expire at the end of the day.

Read more: Students must now have a school ID to get free meals

Bonus: SAGE Dining debuts station concept free of top 12 food allergens

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]