Smarter Lunchrooms Boost Pembroke Pines Schools

Pembroke Pines schools now have access to the Smarter Lunchrooms Self-Assessment Scorecard, a tool designed to enhance cafeteria offerings. The Smarter Lunchrooms Movement, founded in 2009, promotes evidence-based, low-cost changes in school cafeterias to increase student participation, boost profits, and reduce waste.

The scorecard guides school administrators and staff through statements about their cafeteria's service and dining areas. By selecting accurate descriptions, users identify areas of success and opportunities for improvement.

Key areas include fruit availability and promotion, and vegetable and salad offerings. The assessment prompts schools to consider fruit placement at all points of sale, display locations for daily fruit options, and bundling fruit into grab-and-go meals. It also examines vegetable variety, quality, creative naming, and menu board visibility.

The movement also focuses on promoting white milk. The scorecard asks about white milk availability in all coolers, its prominent placement, and its visibility among beverage choices. It also assesses how white milk is included in grab-and-go meals.

These changes aim to make healthy food more appealing and accessible to students through simple, low-cost strategies. The organization recommends annual scorecard completion to track progress.

The Smarter Lunchrooms Self-Assessment Scorecard was developed by The B.E.N. Center in 2016. Schools can access the scorecard online to begin their evaluation.