Meal Regs, Participation...and FAME

School nutrition directors and industry representatives gathered in San Antonio in January at the annual SNA CNIC to strategize about the latest impacts of changing USDA meal regs and nutrition issues.

In industry sessions, Kathy Schuchart, SNA’s vp of child nutrition policy moderated a panel discussing SNA’s just-released 2013 Legislative Issue Paper. Other panels covered school nutrition trends in social media, KPI results and the impact of new USDA meal patterns on participation. (Early tracking suggests meal counts are showing a modest but widespread decline nationally).

At the annual FAME awards ceremonies, the top honor, Golden School Foodservice Director of the Year award, went to Melanie Konarik, MS, SNS, RTSB, director of child nutrition at Houston’s Spring IS

In other presentations, the Silver Spirit award went to Amy Harkey, MS, RD, LDN, SNS, of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; the Silver Leadership award to Lori Drenth, RD, SNS, an FSD at Hernando County School District in Brooksville, FL; and the Silver Rising Star award went to Jim Hemmen, executive chef and child nutrition services supervisor at Rossevelt School District in Phoenix.

The Silver Special Achievement award was presented to Dr. Robert Lewis, FSD at El Monte City School District, El Monte, CA; and the Silver Friend of Child Nutrition award went to Gary Vonck, vp-education division of KeyImpact Sales and Systems.

In a special acknowledgement, the Gertrude Applebaum Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Frank Harris, retired FSD of Norwalk (CT) Public Schools. Harris, a Nazi Holocaust  survivor, has been an outspoken advocate of child nutrition programs for over 50 years.

Visit Food Management's Video Page for coverage from the event