We have joined Minnesota’s Free School Meals Program. Our schools already offer healthy meals each day. Now, all in-person students can get one breakfast and one lunch free of charge while at school – no application required.
What is the Minnesota Free School Meals Program?
The Minnesota Free School Meals Program provides state reimbursement to schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program so that students can have one breakfast and one lunch at no cost at school.
Can the meals be picked up or brought home like we did during the pandemic?
No. Congregate meal service is required in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. Meals may not be taken off campus, sent home, delivered, or picked up by parents or others.
Do I still need to complete the Application for Educational Benefits?
It is important for families to complete the Application for Educational Benefits (aka Free/Reduced-Price Meal Benefits Application). Applications for Educational Benefits determine how much funding your child’s school receives for educational programs and supports. Additionally, eligible families can qualify for other benefits, such as:
• WIC Benefits
• Metro Transits’ Transit Assistance Program
• FCC Affordable Connectivity Program/Reduced price internet programs
• Some summer camps, athletics programs and/or child cares offer scholarships or discounts.
Scroll down to the Meal Accounts, Prices and Payments section for information on how to apply.
What is included in the MN Free School Meals Program?
• At breakfast, the student must choose at least 3 items to be counted as a reimbursable meal. The student must choose a ½ cup serving of fruit or vegetable as part of their breakfast.
• At lunch, the student must choose at least 3 components to be counted as a reimbursable meal. The student must choose a ½ cup serving of fruit or vegetable as part of their lunch.
What is NOT included in the MN Free School Meals Program?
Single item purchases and non-reimbursable meals are not free. Some examples include:
• a second carton of milk
• snack items
• second entrée
• a second breakfast or a second lunch
• meals that do not meet the minimum requirements
• meals served to teachers, staff, and other adults
School meal programs nationwide are experiencing many of the same supply chain issues that have impacted restaurants and grocery stores since the start of the pandemic. Our school nutrition team is committed to ensuring students continue to have access to healthy meals each school day. Just as families had to make substitutions on grocery lists, schools will have to make some last-minute changes to our regular menus, based on availability.
We hope parents and students will be patient as we sort through these supply chain issues. We may not have the same menu choices that we typically offer our students, but we'll be sure that all students are nourished and ready to learn.
Child Nutrition staff in the production kitchen at Eden Prairie High School cook from scratch each day our soups, sauces and several entrées. Using our cook and chill system, these are packaged and refrigerated for next-day delivery to each of our district schools. Here's what's made fresh when it's served in school:
All soups served in Eden Prairie Schools
Spaghetti sauce (our most popular menu item; we hand-make more than 12,000 gallons of sauce annually)
Eden Prairie Schools Child Nutrition is in a class of its own with its full-service production bakery housed at Eden Prairie High School. We have a dedicated, central bakery that serves all of our schools. That means we do not need to add preservatives! Breads, buns and baked goods are made fresh daily. We're currently experimenting to prepare homemade baked goods that do not contain gluten.
Fresh-baked items include: Hamburger buns, hot dog buns, hoagie sandwich buns, tea biscuits, bread loaves, French bread, focaccia, bread bowls, cookies, fruit crisps, breakfast baked items and homemade granola.
People with gluten allergies should know that our gluten-sensitive products are made on the same equipment as our regular baked goods.
Eden Prairie Schools works with local farms and vendors to source many of the foods that we serve. This is part of our meal planning and we're always looking for more ways to bring fresh foods to our tables.
Our fruit and vegetable suppliers source local produce as much as possible. We also work directly with growers and farmers for our apples and cheese:
Whole apples come from Bayfield Farm and Orchard, Wisconsin
Pre-packaged apples are from Richland Hills Farms, Wisconsin
Cheese is from Bongards Premium Cheese, Wisconsin
Farm to School
Nationwide, farm to school programs connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing health and nutrition education opportunities that will last a lifetime, and supporting local small farmers.
Food and Nutrition Resources
The Minnesota Nutrition Council, Inc. and Midwest Dairy has developed a resource list of websites and books for use with consumer audiences. (The content of these sites is not controlled by the Eden Prairie School District.) Click on areas below for more detail:
Eden Prairie Schools is one of the few school districts in the nation to prepare our own rotisserie chicken on two large rotisserie ovens in our production kitchen. Child Nutrition staff prepare fresh chicken for same-day serving. We control the seasonings and leave out additives by overseeing each step of the rotisserie cooking process.
Nutrition, Allergies, Recycling and Wellness Resources
Eden Prairie Schools Food Service offers well-balanced, healthy meals meeting federal nutrition standards. A few facts about school meals:
No more than 30% of calories come from fat, less than 10% from saturated fat.
Meals provide 1/3 of Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium.
Age-appropriate portion sizes.
Fruits/vegetables are offered every day.
Salad bars provide locally sourced produce when available.
Breads baked daily in the full bakery at the EPHS.
School Nutrition programs are working to make healthy meals kid-friendly by:
Making homemade soups and sauces and some dressings in our central kitchen.
Testing items to get student views on what we are serving or thinking about serving.
Reformulating student favorites to make them more healthy, such as serving pizza on whole grain bread with low-sodium sauce and low-fat cheese.
Using oat bran in all our bread recipes to make them a whole grain product.
Incorporating culturally appropriate foods to meet the tastes of our diverse student populations and provide alternative foods for students with dietary restrictions and allergies.
Food companies are responding to calls for more nutritious options by reformulating processed foods with healthier ingredients, less fat, less sodium, and less sugar. For example, pizzas are increasingly made with whole grain crusts, low-sodium sauce and reduced fat cheese; chicken nuggets use a whole grain breading and are baked rather than deep-fried; and french fries are often without trans fat and baked instead of fried. Many schools are now serving baked sweet potato fries.
Milk Choices:
Eden Prairie Schools offers skim, 1%, and skim chocolate milk. According to the USDA, 70% of girls and 60% of boys (ages 6-11) do not consume the recommended daily amount of calcium. Experts agree that to ensure intake of calcium, vitamin D, protein and other nutrients important for growth and development, it is better for children and adolescents to drink flavored milk than to avoid milk all together which is why chocolate milk is offered as an option. Flavored milk delivers the same nutrient package as regular milk and 2005 Dietary Guidelines state that small amounts of sugars added to nutrient-dense foods, such as reduced-fat milk products, may enhance the taste, thus improving nutrient intake without contributing excessive calories.
Breakfast consists of the following food components:
Fruits (or vegetable substitutions)
Grains or optional meat/meat alternatives such as yogurt
Milk
Students at any grade level must select at least three components (one food item may count as two components, e.g. pancakes). One of the choices selected must be at least a 1/2 cup serving of fruit or vegetable.
Chocolate milk is not served at breakfast.
Lunch consists of the following food components:
Fruit
Vegetable
Grains
Meat/Meat Alternate
Milk
Students must choose a fruit and/or vegetable plus at least two other full components.
Health Inspections:
Every school's individual inspection report is posted in each kitchen.
School district staff works to protect specific children from potential food allergies.
Many children in the district have life threatening allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. Child nutrition staff will label manufactured food that have the peanut and tree nut warning at the elementary level.
It is important to note that many food items that are served including buns, bread, cookies and cakes are made in our school district bakery. Peanut butter sandwiches are also made at each school on a regular basis.
Food service staff clean and sanitize all items that have any potential for cross contamination with peanut or tree nut products. This process is an effort to prevent any potential risk for our students with these life threatening allergies.
Families may need to provide lunch from home if this slight possibility is a concern for their student.
All our trash and recycling, after it is sorted by our staff, is taken to a sorting station in Minneapolis where it is sorted again. The trash is burned in an incinerator and the energy is used to heat Target Field and many office buildings in the Minneapolis area. Learn more about how it works!
It's important to teach our students what items can and cannot be recycled. Please review the School Recycling Guide document for information on these items.
Waste Management System
The system to manage waste at Eden Prairie Schools consists of:
Garbage
Cardboard recycling
Food and beverage container recycling (cans, glass, plastics)
Food donation and,
Food waste recycling by way of feeding it to livestock.
At the schools, compactors and dumpsters are dedicated to garbage; loose cardboard is baled for recycling; food and beverage containers (cans, glass, plastic) are collected in barrels for recycling; edible excess food is set aside for food donation, and food waste is collected in barrels for livestock
feeding. Eden Prairie Schools partnered with Hennepin County to recycle more at Central Middle School (CMS).
View the video to learn our goals to better sort trash and utilize washable trays at CMS.
Eden Prairie Schools uses Barthold Farms, a network of family farms that recycle food waste from commercial waste generators in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The farms recycle food waste by cooking it and feeding it to hogs.
Food waste is generated in two areas of the school district's food service operation:
At the Nutrition Center located in the Eden Prairie High School where food for district-wide meals are prepared, cooked, chilled and temporarily stored before delivery to all district schools.
At the cafeteria in each school where food is prepared and meals are served to students and staff.
The district's livestock feeding program is integrated into the Nutrition Center's food service operation at Eden Prairie High School:
Barthold Farms provides the high school with food waste collection barrels to collect food waste for recycling. These barrels have a capacity of 32 gallons and have lids and wheels. Full and empty collection barrels are temporarily stored inside the shipping and receiving area next to the high school's loading dock.
Each weekday morning the Nutrition Center fills "cold carts" with chilled and packaged food cooked the previous day. Cold carts keep the food cold as it is being delivered to schools on two district-owned delivery trucks. When the cold carts arrive at the schools, food service employees heat and serve the food for lunch.
During the lunch periods, food waste is separated into collection barrels by students and staff in the school cafeterias. Full collection barrels are temporarily staged at the school loading docks.
After lunch has been served, empty cold carts and full food waste collection barrels are picked up at the schools and transported back to the high school. Empty cold carts are returned to the Nutrition Center and full food waste collection barrels are consolidated at the high school's loading dock.
Barthold Farms picks up full collection barrels five days a week at the high school.
Quantity Diverted
Eden Prairie Schools diverts an average of 10-15 tons of food waste per month to livestock feeding.
The Economics
By managing the food waste generated separately from its garbage stream, Eden Prairie Schools saves on its trash hauling and disposal costs.
Other Benefits
In addition to cost savings, Eden Prairie Schools has experienced other benefits because the food waste it generates is managed separately from its garbage stream:
Improved workers safety because heavy garbage bags no longer need to be lifted into garbage dumpsters.
Improved labor efficiencies because of fewer employee trips to empty garbage into compactors and dumpsters.
Increased cleanliness of operations due to elimination of liquid waste from the garbage stream.
Reduction in odor due to elimination of food waste from the garbage stream.
Reduction in the use and maintenance of in-sink garbage disposals.
Improved inventory management because food waste is separate and more visible to food service employees.
All school districts that participate in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Act) to have a wellness policy that includes standards and nutrition guidelines for foods and beverages made available to students on campus during the school day, as well as, specific goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that to promote student wellness. The Act requires the involvement of parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, school administrators, and the public in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the wellness policy.
The district's wellness policy (533) can be viewed under District Policies in the 500 series.
The Wellness Advisory Committee partnering with administration and Hennepin County Public Health to increase the use of Mindfulness and Movement in our schools. Mindfulness and Movement Summary
Eden Prairie Schools has a computerized meal system called Infinite Campus. Each student is assigned a personal identification number (PIN) that corresponds to their individual meal account.
Deposits to meal accounts (cash or check) can be sent to school with students any day of the week for any amount. Please make checks payable to Eden Prairie School District and put your child's name and PIN on the memo line. Or funds can be deposited online through your parent portal account on a one-time or recurring basis.
Funds remaining in the account at the end of the school year will carry over to the following year. Parents can log into the Parent Portal through Infinite Campus to access their student’s meal account and view cafeteria purchases.
Please remember that meal accounts are not intended to be a charge account. Parents/guardians will be notified by e-mail when the account balance is negative on Tuesdays and Fridays after 4 p.m. through Infinite Campus. You should check your parent portal account often if you do not choose to set up recurring payments.
If you wish to place a daily spending limit on your child's meal account or limit what items can be purchased, please call your school's cashier.
Adding Funds to Your Student's Meal Account Online
The district uses the online system in the Parent Portal for parents to add funds to student meal accounts. Fees for activities, sports, and transportation are paid through Fee Pay.
The Food Service tool allows parents access to the following food service information:
The tool can also be used to add funds to students’ accounts on either a one-time or recurring basis. The first step is to set up a payment method.
Adding a credit card/debit card/checking/savings account:
Click My Accounts, then Payment Methods.
Click New at the bottom of the screen.
Select the appropriate option (credit/debit card, checking or savings account).
Enter all required information.
You may choose a nickname to help you identify the payment method.
You may choose to make a payment method your default by clicking Use as default.
Click Save.
Adding money to a Food Service account (one-time):
Click Pay.
Enter the amount you want to add in the Amount field. (If a box is not available for you to enter an amount, the account may not be active and you will need to contact your school's cashier.)
Click Add to Cart.
Click My Cart. The Checkout Screen displays.
Select the Payment Method you want to use.
Click Submit Payment.
Automatically adding money to a Food Service account (recurring):
Click My Accounts, then Recurring Payments. (Please note if you have multiple students, be sure to first select the correct student in the student dropdown list displayed in the top right corner.)
Select a Frequency Option: Weekly, Semi-Monthly (1st and 15th of month), Monthly or Low Balance.
Set the required dates and amounts.
Select the Payment Method you want to use.
Enter an email address for Campus to send a receipt.
Click Save.
One-time payments incur a $3.00 fee; recurring payments incur a fee the first transaction, but not the subsequent transactions.
If you need help logging into the Parent Portal, please call the parent helpline at 952-975-7094. If you have questions regarding Food Service please contact FoodService_Office@edenpr.org or call 952-975-8050.
Most menu items are also available a la carte. Prices for individual menu items are available from the cashier. A la carte items and "megabites" (an extra entrée at elementary and middle schools) do not qualify as free/reduced price lunch options. A student’s account is charged the full price of the item(s) purchased. Parents (and siblings) who visit for lunch and purchase a meal must pay full-price, even if the student receives free/reduced priced lunch benefits.
Minimum Price for Adults and Other Non-Program Meals
School nutrition programs funds may not subsidize non-program meals. Meals that are served to adults (and any non-reimbursable meals such as second lunches) must be priced high enough so that the cost of these meals is fully paid for by the customer.
At a minimum, the meal charge must be equal to the full amount of reimbursements received for a student free meal including the cost for lunches and the value of commodities.
You may submit a printed or online application. A NEW APPLICATION MUST BE SUBMITTED EACH SCHOOL YEAR unless you have received notice that your child(ren) have been approved through direct certification for the current school year. Your application could open the door to more benefits including discounts on internet access, sports fees, AP testing fees and college application fees.
The online application can be accessed through the Parent Portal. Once logged in, click on More, then Meal Benefits in the left sidebar. New this year: The online application now can be completed on a mobile phone. It is necessary to allow pop-ups in your web browser. Also, you must know your log-in password in order to create an e-Signature PIN. If you need to reset your password, please contact the Parent Helpline at 952-975-7094.
The application is also available to download, print and submit via mail or drop off at any school office. You may also email your completed application to FoodService_Office@edenpr.org. You will need to sign the application by hand; do not type in your name on the signature line.
For seniors, after the last day of school the remaining Food Service account balance of any senior who has sibling(s) actively enrolled in Eden Prairie Schools will be transferred to the next-oldest sibling's account. For the remaining seniors, an email will be sent to the parents listing the options for refunds.
All other Food Service account refunds, please contact FoodService_Office@edenpr.org.
Parents of students with negative balance accounts will receive automated emails bi-weekly until the account has a positive balance.
Eden Prairie Schools will make reasonable efforts to contact families. Non-district employees (i.e. volunteers) will not be involved in efforts to collect unpaid meals.
Families can add funds to their student's account through Parent Portal or by sending cash or a check payable to Eden Prairie School District with their students.
Eden Prairie School District Child Nutrition Office maintains an Angel Fund that is funded by donations for each school. The funds are used to assist families who are struggling to pay for school food for their children. The Angel Fund also gives our community an opportunity to share with those in need right in our own school district. Donations can come from individuals, businesses and charitable foundations.
Many families donate the balance left in a student's account when they graduate or leave the district. Every bit helps! You may designate the site you would like your donation to go to. Donations may be sent to the Child Nutrition Office at 17185 Valley View Road, Eden Prairie, MN 55346.
Thank you for your help in supporting our students.
Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf , from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: Program.Intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Contact Us
Brenda Boehm, Director of Food and Nutrition Services BBoehm@edenpr.org or 952-975-8051
Patricia Newell, Child Nutrition Coordinator PNewell@edenpr.org or 952-975-8053
Monday, March 18 - Friday, March 22: There is no school for all students, including early childhood and preschool programs, targeted services, credit recovery and Community Education classes. We look forward to welcoming the Eagles back to school on Monday, March 25!
Please note that district and school offices will have adjusted in-person office hours over Spring Break.
Phone and internet service interrupted on March 19, 6:00 - 8:30 a.m.
Between 6:00 and 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 19, internet and phone service will be intermittent across the entire district as the Technology team performs essential updates. If you try to call Eden Prairie Schools during this time, you may receive a busy signal. Thank you for your patience if there is a delay in response time from our staff!