1. Portland Public Schools
Nutrition Services
Gitta Grether-Sweeney, MS, RD, Director
Shannon Stember, RD, Assistant Director

2. Portland Public Schools
Nutrition Services
Mission: To provide students delicious, high
quality and nutrient rich meals.
“Audacious” Goal: Be the most successful urban
school district, to educate palates, inspire culinary
curiosity and nourish the health of the community
through school meals.
www.pps.k12.or.us/departments/nutrition/index.htm

3. Portland Statistics
• Enrollment: 47,000 students
• 45% of the students are eligible
for free or reduced price meals
– 42 schools 25% or less free/reduced
– 40 schools 50% or greater free/reduced
– 3 Provision schools (breakfast & lunch)
• 85 School Cafeterias (including Head Start sites)
• On-site food preparation
• Central Warehouse & Distribution
• Nutrition Service Employees: 260
• Management Team: Six Registered Dietitians,
One Masters of Public Health
• 40 Edible School Gardens

4. Portland Child Nutrition Programs
Number of Meals served per day
Breakfast: 11,000
Lunch: 21,000
After School Supper: 2,000 at 32 schools
Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program: 18 schools
Summer Program 3,500-5,000
Head Start Programs
No a la carte or vending in K-8
2008-09 State law set nutrition standards for all
foods outside NSLP or SBP

5. Changing School Lunch
From this…
…to this!
“Real Food with Local Flavors”

6. Changing School Lunch
Veggies
~$0.15
Milk
~$0.20
Fruit
~$0.15
Entree
~$0.62
spending $1.12 to $1.20 on food

7. Menu and Recipe Changes
New Menu Items:
• Indian Curry w/Chicken or Chickpeas w/Couscous
• Hummus Plate
• Whole Breast Chicken Nugget and Pattie
• Handmade Bean & Cheese Burritos
• Lasagna
• Pizza-crust made with Shepherd’s Grain Flour
• Roasted Zucchini, Cumin Carrots, Brussels Sprouts
• Garbanzo Bean & Tomato Salad
• Black Bean & Corn Salad
• Fresh Salad Mixes: Mesclun & Romaine, Green Leaf, Spinach
• Zac O’mega Bars made with Shepherd’s Grain Flour
Eliminated:
Ranch Dressing
Corn Dogs
Holiday Cookies

8. Changing School Lunch
“Real Food with Local Flavors”

9. Portland Farm to School Timeline
2006-07 – Began Farm to School/Local Purchasing
May 2007 – Harvest of the Month RFP
June 2007 - Fresh Produce RFP
2007-present
• Harvest of the Month
Twice a month
• Local Flavors
Weekly

10. June 2007 Fresh Produce RFP
The District is implementing a Harvest of the Month (HOM) educational
promotion in the District. Harvest of the Month is one step toward
realizing the vision the District holds for school cafeterias as a model for
health, wellness and food system sustainability. With HOM the cafeteria
is viewed as a learning laboratory to introduce students to locally
sourced foods.
The District’s intent is to purchase locally grown produce. It is desirable
to purchase product from Farms that are located as close to Portland
Public Schools as possible in order to provide the freshest produce as
possible. The District is interested in purchasing produce from farmers
whose production practices support environmental sustainability goals,
such as, (but not restricted to), reduced use or elimination of chemical
pesticides and fertilizers, use of organic fertilizers, fewer transport miles
between farm and District, and environmentally friendly packaging.
Featured HOM products will be promoted through student artwork in
District’s calendar and posters in school cafeterias. Some schools may
also choose to provide supplemental educational activities in their
classrooms and/or their school garden programs.

11. June 2007 Fresh Produce RFP
Oregon Preference
To the extent allowed by Law, the District reserves the right to give preference to
goods and services produced within the State of Oregon when all things are equal
with competing offers. When fruits and vegetables grown in Oregon are in season and
all things being equal, the District would prefer to purchase locally grown produce.
Oregon Harvest Schedule:
Fruit: Vegetables:
Apples July-Oct Asparagus April-June
Apricots July-Aug Broccoli July-Oct
Blueberries July-Sept Carrots June-Oct
Grapes Sept-Oct Cauliflower Aug-Oct
Melons Aug-Sept Corn Aug-Oct
Nectarines July-Aug Cucumbers July-Sept
Peaches June-Aug Lettuce April –Oct
Pears Aug-Oct Potatoes July-Oct
Plums Aug-Sept Squash July-Oct
Strawberries May-June Tomatoes July-Oct

12. Harvest of the Month

13. Real Food with Local Flavors
Over 32% of our food purchases come from local farmers and local
companies. These “Local Flavors” bring the region’s great products
to the students of Portland Public Schools
Local Farmers Local Companies
Cal Farms, Oregon City Alpenrose Dairy, Portland
Kiyokowa Family Orchards, Parkdale Broadway Bagels, Portland
Nature’s Fountain Farm, Albany Cascadian Farm, Skagit Valley, WA
Pollock & Sons, Hermiston Don Pancho, Salem
Strebin Farms, Troutdale Fairlight Bakery, Vancouver, WA
Unger Farms, Cornelius Harry’s Fresh Foods, Portland
Walter Wells & Sons, Hood River Clackamas Bakery, Clackamas
Willamette Valley Orchards, Salem Roadrunner Pizza, Gladstone
Shepherd’s Grain, Pacific Northwest
Teeny’s Foods, Portland
The Original Taco House, Portland
Truitt Brothers, Salem
Yami Yogurt, Auburn, WA

14. Community Partners
Ecotrust Food and Farms School Food FOCUS
Oregon Dept of Agriculture OHSU Dietetic Internship
Oregon Dept of Education City of Portland
Oregon State Extension Oregon Dairy Council
Multnomah County CPPW Eat.Think.Grow
Growing Gardens Oregon Food Bank
Partners for Hunger Free Oregon
Thank you