Safety in School Foodservice for Students K-12 & Beyond

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there were roughly 56.6 million students enrolled in K-12 education as of fall 2019. For colleges, enrollment numbers were about 20 million.

Despite different backgrounds, life experiences and age, a common educational experience exists – school foodservice. Whether a student eats in the lunchroom daily, or simply stops by a grab-and-go kiosk, safety for students will be top of mind this fall.

Properly Cleaning & Sanitizing Surfaces.

Over the summer your school likely goes into deep cleaning mode… from lockers, to carpet cleaning and everything in between. Summer break is a great time to do a deep dive into cleaning the lunchroom or kitchen. Check out our recent blog post on cleaning tips for restaurants during COVID-19, which are also helpful as your school prepares to re-open this fall. When school does return, will you be disinfecting tables and checkout lanes between lunch shifts? Sanitized labels can help track cleaning and ensure students their tables are safe to eat at.

Utilizing Clear Labeling for Prep & Food Packaging.

Operators are continually focused on serving healthy student meals while taking food allergies and sensitivities into consideration. Changing dietary needs and regulations, compounded with allergies, means school foodservice operators are hypersensitive when it comes to protecting students. The Date Code Genie® prints labels for grab-and-go, prep, allergens and more at the touch of a button – and can be customized for your school’s unique needs. Plus, this intuitive system can be controlled from a centralized district or campus location to streamline and save time. Labeling becomes easy, safe and efficient so that you can focus on keeping students safe.

How will student safety look different in your school lunchroom, food hall or campus dining hall this fall?
Encouraging Proper Distancing.

It’s not new information that keeping a six-foot distance between each person helps to slow the spread. But sometimes it’s hard to tell exactly how far that is. Floor graphics provide a visual cue and keep students adequately spaced apart. They’re helpful for lines at checkout, entrances, waiting areas and more.

This fall, there will be additional awareness and sensitivities added to the mix around keeping students safe in the lunchroom, food hall, or at a grab-and-go station. By starting the conversation now around what products and tools your school foodservice will be using, you’ll be prepared to safely welcome students back to your foodservice operation come August or September (or earlier, if you are a year-round school). Reach out to NCCO if we can be of any help as you navigate this time.