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Key Topics Discussed:
Jennifer Hofer email: jhofer@starpsa.org
- Willing to answer specific questions and share her process for procurement, communication, and menu planning
- Will be attending SNAM Industry Conference on Thursday March 16th and would love to answer questions and talk with anyone there
Order local Halal certified foods a month ahead of time
- Everything is fresh and raw then cooked on-site at each building
- Have a relationship with the local vendors – example: a vendor would never ask to substitute a pepperoni pizza instead of cheese because the pepperoni wouldn’t be Halal certified and the vendor should understand this – probably will require multiple conversations
- Never have had an issue with substitutions
When menu planning, remember to use Commodities to help offset the cost of more expensive items such as meat and poultry certified Halal.
- Different ethnic entrée options are usually offered on Mondays as Fridays are used for meal prep as these are half-days and leave more time to prepare foods.
- Vegetables are never a problem, especially the Beans/Peas/Legumes sub-group with popular dishes like hummus and salads often offered as side dishes
- Can balance the menu with popular items such as cheeseburgers, cheese pizza, and Mac and Cheese
Can use Micro-purchasing for certain Halal products or small purchases of certain foods
- Micro-purchase threshold is $10,000.
- Quick resource: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/ohns/Food-Distribution/Procurement-Updated-Quick-Reference-Guide–ADA-Compliant-FY23.pdf?rev=1dfda97b5f99431c9e9ad5712973af04&hash=B9E14D29E45EB0E51946CBD6642B4B91
- Reach out to the MDE Procurement team if you have questions.
Resources:
Equity in School Meals: Planning for Culturally Diverse & Inclusive Menus: https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/webinars/equity-school-meals-planning-culturally-diverse-inclusive-menus
School Meals Design Guide: https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/webinars/getting-started-school-meals-design-guide-new-resource-no-kid-hungry
Comments and Questions from Participants:
- What advice would you have for districts that are experiencing a somewhat rapid increase of kids and families requesting Halal? Any tips for communicating with households when discussing different cultural foods as menu options for the first time? A few tips:
- Participating in the breakfast and lunch program should always be a family decision.
- Can provide ingredient lists and items available that are certified Halal and the family can help with the menu plan.
- Offering a way for a family/household to let you know if they would like specific menu options such as items certified Halal or Kosher (if you are able).
- Always ask questions and know you do not need to be an expert. Most people are willing to answer questions to help get a specific result meaning families will most likely want to help explain their specific needs.
- Do you offer a variety of different lunches such as pizza, burgers, etc… on the same day or is it just your main entrée? Mainly offer one entrée. Sometimes a second entrée option is offered but it depends on inventory.
- Are you willing to share with all of us your vendors & the lists of their Halal products that they carry? Reach out to Jennifer with any specific questions about local procurement. She would be happy to share any information.
- Do you have to worry about substitutions and how are you able to ensure no errors? Order local foods once a month and have never had an issue with a specific item being unavailable. When an item is unavailable, making a menu change is easy enough if you purchase Halal certified menu items (specifically talking about meats and poultry). As long as the substitution is also certified Halal.
- To what extent do the students and families know that the whole menu is halal? Have you had to spend time raising awareness about this fact? It is assumed that menu items are certified Halal and households with specific questions might reach out and ask for certification documents. Keep all documentation on hand from any local vendors in case any households have questions.