Food Show Gives Fairfax County Students Choice In School Menus

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — With a selection of foods from turkey gyros and bulgogi to birria tacos and chicken and waffles waiting, students brought their appetites to sample food options that could become part of the school menus.

Fairfax County Public Schools held its first-ever Future of FCPS Student Food Show, allowing hundreds of students to sample foods being considered for breakfast and lunch. The dozens of menu concepts included vegetarian, vegan, and Halal options and aim to provide healthier and more culturally diverse food options.

An estimated 200 students from grades 4 to 11 sampled foods at the food show. Students could then fill out a survey to share which food options they liked.

Shaun Sawko, executive director of Food and Nutrition Services for FCPS, told Patch he used the food show idea at other school districts and decided to bring it to FCPS.

"it's a really great way for us to not only just test out new concepts, but elevate our student voice into our school menus," said Sawko.

Fairfax County Public Schools is not only Virginia's largest school district but also one of its most diverse. That diversity was recognized with the potential menu items being tested at the food show. Students could sample foods from different cuisines, including Korean, Mediterranean, Indian, Italian and more.

"The diversity of our students should be reflected in the diversity of our menus. And so the whole idea is, you know, students have evolved beyond the chicken tenders and hamburgers," said Sawko. "They've evolved into already sampling these foods at home, and they want to continue sampling these foods, and they should be able to see themselves reflected in their school meals."

A change in the school menus is welcome, several students told Patch.

"A lot of kids in Fairfax County are diverse. Having more diverse foods is actually helpful for students," said Husnia Esmatzada, an Annandale High School student.

The other element is having more variety to choose from in general.

"I feel like we've had the same food for years," said Melanie, another Annandale High School student.

"It's always been the same. It needs to be switched up, said Annandale High School student Ariana, who said it was "smart" to get feedback from students.

In between food sampling, students could learn about the nutrition value of the meals and what food groups were included.

"We know that breakfast and school lunch are a really important part of your school day," Superintendent Michelle Reid told students. "In fact, we know that students who have a good breakfast in the morning do better academically."

There's a good chance at least some of the foods students tried at the food show will end up on students' plates at schools around Fairfax County. After the food show, FCPS will examine the student survey and see which foods were the most popular. Then, the school system will start getting supplies it would need to add the food to the school menus.

Food menus will be largely implemented across all schools, although there are considerations like spice levels that may cause variations among school levels — elementary, middle or high school. Global foods will be reflected across the school system, although individual schools may see varying frequencies for menu items depending on student preferences.

"But ideally, this is going to be the same impact across all of our schools," said Sawko. "So if all of our students really enjoy one concept, then we're going to go ahead and elevate that to make sure it's reflected in our menus."

The food show could become a regular occurrence to gain student input on food each year.

"I told my staff today just be ready for this to be your favorite day of every year, because we plan on doing this as the first annual but we plan on doing a second and third and a fourth," said Sawko.