The Round Rock ISD Food Services Department was awarded a Best of the Bunch Award by the Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller for its achievement in the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) 2017 Local Products Challenge.
Every October, the local products challenge encourages school nutrition teams to incorporate more Texas products into meals and teach children about healthy lifestyles and Texas agriculture. Round Rock ISD earned the award by meeting the highest standard of the challenge.
“The entire Food Services Department is committed to providing our children with the most nutritious meals possible so that they are ready to succeed each day,” Food Services Director Kelly Grones said. “This accomplishment represents that commitment to providing good nutrition and teaching students about the importance of Texas agriculture.”
Round Rock ISD used more than 11,000 pounds of locally sourced watermelon, gala apples, grape tomatoes, oranges and grapefruit.
“Schools in the Local Product Challenge demonstrated a real commitment to combining nutrition education with support for their local economies and Texas’ bountiful agriculture industry,” Commissioner Miller said. “When a school meal includes products like citrus, lean beef or low-fat milk from Texas, it provides a lesson in healthy eating that lasts a lifetime and an economic boost that benefits the entire community.”
Nearly 180 school districts participated in the 2017 Local Products Challenge and less than 10 percent of school districts in the state earned this distinction.
