Summary
This document is a correspondence from the Superintendent and Executive Director of Nutrition Services and Warehouse & Distribution to the Oakland Board of Education about the effects of its adoption of the Rethinking School Lunch Oakland (RSLO) framework. This framework uses ten dimensions to measure the quality of lunches served: facilities, finances, food & health, wellness policy, teaching and learning, the dining experience, procurement, waste management, professional development, and marketing and communications. The document largely focuses on the health of students, noting the risks and how to prevent students from going hungry. The document also acknowledges a partnership with the Good Food Procurement Program (GFPP) to evaluate the quality of the meals provided; the five standards used by the GFPP are Nutrition, Animal Welfare, Environmental Sustainability, Valued Workforce, and Local Economies. GFPP expressed approval to the Oakland Unified School District’s procurement for the 2015-2016 school year based on the aforementioned standards. The document concludes by stating that the goal is to have the GFPP standards fully integrated by the conclusion of the 2017-2018 school year.
Nutrition Services is requesting that the Board officially adopt the Good Food Purchasing Policy. The October
11, 2017 Board Meeting is intended to be the first read of the policy. The goal is to have GFPP adopted by
end of 2017-18 SY along with Administrative Regulations. Based on prior data, we do expect food cost to
maintain or decrease. This is also tied to the completion and opening of the new central kitchen.
The Rethinking School Lunch Oakland study will continue through the opening of The Center and upgrades of school
kitchens, although it will continue to yield findings at different intervals over the next academic year. The study will be
longitudinal and examine how the facilities upgrades serve students and families at the site level after the opening of
The Center and completion of finishing kitchens. This year, one aspect of the study has expanded to include four other
districts across the state engaged in similar work, and another aspect of the work will directly support the revision of
OUSD’s Wellness Policy. The research team with Nutrition Services and Health and Wellness will periodically update the
Board on the findings.