Monday, September 26th 2016
As students headed back to school in September, University of Minnesota Extension hosted a delegation of officials from Guatemala who wanted to learn how to improve school food programs. The visitors got a taste of Extension’s school foodservice training programs, as well as the ways the SNAP-Ed staff partners with schools to improve the school food environment. The delegation visited through a USDA-sponsored program called the Cochran Fellowship Program. Most Cochran fellowships focus on improving agriculture practices. The delegation from Guatemala, however, wanted to learn about nutrition standards, procurement, food safety and storage, school meal implementation and operations, monitoring and compliance, and best and innovative practices. The focus on school food programs is a niche that Extension is recognized for, with award-winning training and support of foodservice professionals. The schedule included visits in Washington, D.C. with USDA’s Economic Research Service and and Nutrition Service, as well as the School Nutrition Association (SNA). In Minnesota, the delegation spent time with the Minnesota departments of education, health, and agriculture; the Minnesota chapter of SNA; the Food Farm to School Leadership Team; and the School Nutrition Training Coalition. The delegation also visited schools offering unique school food programs, commercial food distributors, and a food hub.