Nutrition Education & Student Collaborations
AISD Food Service is committed to creating opportunities that help students build lifelong healthy habits, explore careers in nutrition and the culinary arts, and help shape future menus. Through hands-on learning, student collaborations, and community partnerships, we connect the cafeteria to the classroom while making healthy eating fun and engaging.
Throughout the year, students participate in taste tests, recipe challenges, culinary competitions, and nutrition education activities that introduce new foods, encourage healthy choices, and provide valuable feedback on future menu items. Student inspired recipes have been featured on school menus, and partnerships with local businesses have given students the opportunity to collaborate with chefs, restaurants, and food producers.
The department also partners with AISD's Career and Technical Education (CTE) to help provide students with fun and engaging culinary experiences. Past initiatives have included the Diced & Sliced Culinary Competition, hands-on cooking activities with the district's Executive Chef, the Food of the Future event exploring sustainable ingredients, and collaborations with Kerbey Lane Cafe that brought student created recipes to restaurant menus.
Beyond the classroom, AISD Food Service supports student learning through the Garden to Café program, where students have a hand in planting, growing, and harvesting foods served in the cafeteria. The department also hosts dietetic interns, welcomes high school interns through programs such as EcoRise and the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø ISD Summer Internship Program, participates in career fairs and campus events, and partners with schools to support special promotions, student initiatives, and nutrition education activities throughout the district.
Garden to Café
AISD is taking an important leadership role in the school garden movement by partnering with students, community members, teachers and administrators to develop a Garden to Café program that extends the lessons learned in the garden to the school café. Garden to Café is about serving healthy, fresh, garden-grown foods to students through school meal programs.
The AISD Garden to Café Program provides guidelines for schools to help gain approval to serve produce that is grown on campus. Schools requesting this approval will be required to designate a Garden Leader, who will follow the necessary standards and protocols to ensure the garden meets health regulations.
Ensuring the safety of the food supply is critical to student health. School and retail food facilities regulated under the Texas Food Establishment Rules are required to obtain their food from an approved source. Schools requesting to serve food grown in their gardens in the café will be subject to evaluation as outlined in the AISD School Garden to Café Conditions for Use of Garden-Grown Produce in School Kitchens.
Gardens will be reviewed on:
- Water quality
- Protection from contamination
- Sanitary practices
- Harvesting procedures
Campuses requesting to participate in the Garden to Café program can begin the process by submitting the following document:
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø ISD School Garden to Café Conditions for Use of Garden-Grown Produce in School Kitchens
Please allow 1-2 weeks for processing and approval.
Learn more ways to use school garden-grown foods in the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Area School Garden Collaborative Harvest Guide. The guide provides schools with alternative options to Garden to Café.
Nacho Average Food Truck
The Nacho Average Food Truck brings an exciting school dining experience to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø ISD high schools each spring. Designed with high school students in mind, the menu features fresh, trend inspired meals that offer something different from the everyday cafeteria menu while still meeting the same federal school meal nutrition guidelines. Whenever possible, menu items highlight ingredients sourced from Texas, supporting local farmers and producers. Students dine at the truck just as they do in the cafeteria, using their school meal status - free, reduced-price or paid. Learn more about the and an example of a .
Clean Labels
AISD Food Service focuses on serving meals made with high quality ingredients. Since 2015, the department has implemented a clean label initiative focused on avoiding "unwanted ingredients" identified in the .
AISD also complies with , enacted in 2025, which prohibits certain food additives from being included in free or reduced-price meals served by Texas school districts.
Local and Sustainable Purchasing
AISD Food Service prioritizes purchasing foods that support Texas producers, strengthen local economies, and promote a more sustainable food system. School menus regularly feature products from local suppliers, including New World Bakery breads, Fiesta tortillas, milk sourced from Texas dairy farms, and locally grown fruits and vegetables whenever available.
In 2019, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø ISD became the first school district in Texas to adopt the , a nationally recognized framework that helps institutions use their purchasing power to advance a more equitable, transparent, and sustainable food system. The program evaluates purchasing practices across five core values:
- Local Economies – Supports local farmers, ranchers, producers, and food businesses.
- Community Health & Nutrition – Expands access to nutritious, minimally processed foods.
- Environmental Sustainability – Encourages responsible farming and food production practices that protect natural resources.
- Valued Workforce – Promotes fair wages, safe working conditions, and workers' rights throughout the food supply chain.
- Animal Welfare – Encourages responsible and humane treatment of farm animals.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø ISD has earned Good Food Leader: Silver Status recognition through the Good Food Purchasing Program, reflecting the district's continued commitment to serving healthy, tasty meals while supporting local communities and meaningful food purchasing practices.
Zero Waste
AISD is committed to reducing waste and supporting the City of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø's goal of diverting 90% of materials from landfills by 2040. Through thoughtful purchasing, efficient operations, and sustainable practices, we work to minimize waste in our kitchens and cafeterias while making the most of available resources.
Some of the ways we reduce waste include:
- Reducing food waste through the Offer Versus Serve service method, efficient menu planning, data driven forecasting, increased scratch cooking, and self-serve fruit, vegetables, and condiments.
- Making sustainable operational choices by reducing individually packaged products, using reusable trays when possible, and prioritizing compostable products when reusables are not feasible.
- Composting food scraps in all school kitchens.
- Using share tables where students may leave unopened or whole food items for others to enjoy. Remaining items are handled according to health department guidelines and, when permitted, are served during the next meal service.
- Supporting waste reduction through equipment improvements, including modernized serving lines.
Because every campus is unique, waste reduction practices may vary based on staffing, equipment, facility design, and operational needs. AISD Food Service works closely with each school to identify practical solutions that reduce waste while maintaining safe, efficient meal service.
Advocacy & Partnerships
As a national leader in school nutrition, AISD Food Service staff are actively engaged in local and national organizations to advocate for school meal access, quality, and support. These organizations include the , , , , Central Texas Farm to School Collaborative, and .
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø ISD Food Service staff regularly share best practices and program innovations with a variety of audiences through local, state, and national conferences and industry events, including the , , , , , , and .
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø ISD Food Service has also received grant support from organizations including , , , , , and . These partnerships help expand programs, support student experiences, and advance initiatives that improve the student dining experience.