PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School Board has unanimously voted to bring in more freshly prepared and local foods to the district’s students.
A request for proposals for food services that the board approved Monday outlines specific “healthy food” initiatives the district wants from the contractor.
The district now has a contract with Sodexo, which has run the district food services for 29 years.
The current contract expires at the end of the school year and it must go out to bid.
At the March 15 School Board meeting, about 40 parents and community members attended in support of healthier food at the schools.
Of those, about 25 spoke out asking the district to specifically ask for healthier food in the request for proposals.
Advocate ‘thrilled’
Beth Loveridge, a long-time advocate of healthy and local foods, called the vote “historic” after the meeting.
“I’m thrilled, and I’m so proud of the school district,” she said.
“It is huge that they are taking a decisive step toward healthy eating.”
She said she had been working for such a decision for the past 10 years.
Loveridge lauded Assistant Superintendent Michelle Reid and Graciela Harris, director of nutrition services at Olympic Medical Center, for their work on the healthy foods committee for the district.
“Michelle really worked hard and jumped through hoops at the district level to get this done,” she said.
“Graciela has been a great partner in the effort to improve school food.”
Some of the objectives outlined in the request for proposals were:
• Provide appealing and nutritionally sound program for students as economically as possible and set good examples for healthy eating behaviors.
• Increase awareness of students, parents, staff and the community of advantages of sound food services program.
• Consistently minimize the use of processed foods and foods that are high in additives, saturated fat and sodium.
• Meet the needs of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian children.
Any company who wishes to make a bid for the program will be required to attend a preproposal conference April 24 in which they will take a tour of the district’s buildings and kitchens.
The district spends about $1.34 million per year on food services.
The contract, a one-year agreement with the option of renewal for the next four years, expires at the end of the school year and was legally required to go back out for bid.
The last time the contract was up for bid, Sodexo was the lone bidder, Jim Schwob, executive business director for the district, has said.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
