T-L Photos/GAGE VOTA Barnesville Exempted Village School District Superintendent Micha Fuchs, right, gives the board of education an impromptu annual food service report due to the intended presenter being ill. Barnesville Board of Education Treasurer Adam Quirk reads the notes of the report as Funchs presents it.

BARNESVILLE — Although tonight is football Friday, Barnesville Exempted Village School District Superintendent Micha Fuchs called an audible Thursday and presented an impromptu food service report to the board of education.

Fuchs wasn’t the planned presenter. Director of Food and Nutrition Jessica Ackerman was slated to give the annual presentation but was unable to attend due to sickness.

“Part of this compliance is to make sure that people understand the nutritional standards,” Fuchs said. “The district only purchases from vetted vendors to ensure that all products meet nutritional standards and that the labeling of the products is clear … The daily availability of fresh fruits and veggies that are also sourced locally as possible helps ensure students to make healthier decisions about their meals,” he said, adding that all of the recipes are dietician approved. “With the utilization of an online menu, all nutritional information is available for every meal.”

The district uses a website called Nutrislice for its online menu. It provides a detailed nutritional breakdown of every item that will be served every day. For example, today the students at Barnesville High School will have an option of the dish of the day that is a chicken cheesesteak that is 340 calories and contains milk, wheat, soy, sesame, grain and protein; or they can choose a pepperoni pizza that has 485 calories and contains milk, wheat, gluten, grain and protein.

The students also have an option of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that has 610 calories and contains peanuts, milk, wheat, soy and gluten.

The website also provides a carbohydrate tracker as well as a portal to click that informs the students of which milk, vegetable, and fruit options will be available each day.

The district also strictly enforces the “Smart Snack” guidelines. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s website, “As of the 2014–2015 school year, all competitive foods and beverages sold during the school day must meet or exceed Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, which include limits on fat, sugar, sodium, and calorie content.

These standards are the minimum requirement for schools, but states and local education agencies can continue to implement stronger nutrition standards for all competitive foods in schools.”

The district also mandates that all district employees attend periodic Hazard Analysis and Control Points training. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product. For successful implementation of a HACCP plan, management must be strongly committed to the HACCP concept. A firm commitment to HACCP by top management provides company employees with a sense of the importance of producing safe food.”

Employees must also participate in food safety training. In addition to the food safety training, the district’s food service employees must meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s required minimum of 15 hours for professional development training on a yearly basis.

“Overall the district has many programs and policies in place to ensure that it is meeting the state’s standards. The district strives to not only meet but exceed those standards,” Fuchs said.

Barnesville school district was recently awarded the Community Eligibility Provision waiver, which provides all students in the district with free lunches. The district was awarded the waiver due to the disadvantaged population within the district’s attendance area.

“We know that the meals in school for some of these students are the most important meals that they’re going to get in a day, so we try to improve our practices and make it food that will be palatable to all of the kids in different ways,” Fuchs said.