Meals in the Classroom

4 Essentials for In-Classroom Feeding

Has your district decided to serve meals in the classroom, so now the race is on to get ready fast? Thankfully, many schools across the country have fine-tuned their breakfast in the classroom (BIC) programs, so we can take what they’ve learned to adapt to the urgent new need to feed students in place. BIC programs paved the way for efficient processes and equipment that can serve multiple purposes, optimize staffing, and help the team meet the tight time constraints of school meal periods.

Odds are you already have some of the equipment you need to set up your meals in the classroom (MIC) program. Insulated carts, kiosks, mobile shelving units, and even “salad” bars can transform into components of a well-oiled classroom delivery system. Let’s look at the staples used in successful classroom feeding programs.

1. Enclosed Meal Containers
 

Disposable clamshells, reusable clamshells, and two-piece covered trays are all

popular options to keep food covered to protect against cross-contamination. Disposables are convenient, but you’ll want to consider budget, storage space, and waste disposal resources since the material volume and cost can grow quickly. If you have access to a commercial dishwasher, reusable clamshells such as the OZZI O2GO container and covered trays such as the Separator Tray from Cambro are durable and hygienic options that can be used for other purposes in the future.

2. Insulated Meal Transport Carts

Holding and transporting food at safe temperatures is always a top priority. Before making a final meal container and cart decision, you’ll want to make sure they have a compatible fit. In other words, the more meals you can fit in a cart the better, but they need to have just enough space between to be easy to load and unload. This is an area we have a lot of experience with, so let us know if you need some help. Carts with separate insulated compartments make it easy to safely hold hot menu items in the top and cold in the bottom. Transporters like the Cambro Pro Cart Ultra are popular in BIC programs for this very reason. If buying new carts, you’ll also want to think about how they can be used in the future to maximize return on investment.

3. Cold Item Transport

Milk, juice, smoothies, and other cold items will need their own carriers or carts to stay safely cold and appetizing. Smaller insulated carriers such as Cambro GoBags or GoBoxes provide a lot of flexibility when transported on dollies or Mobile Shelving Units and are sure to continue to be useful into the future.

4. Kiosks and Salad or Food Bars

If you have mobile merchandisers such as kiosks and salad bars in your existing inventory,

put them to work in a whole new way. They’re already on wheels and often feature insulated compartments and wells to help you transport meals and snacks from kitchen to classroom. Vending carts and kiosks such as the new vending cart by Cambro come with built-in, clear sneeze guards, which are now more important than ever.

We can help you build on what you have, assess options, and ensure all the key components fit together to get your meals in the classroom program up-and-running. Contact us. We are here for you!