West Michigan Food Service Directors Meeting

West Michigan Food Service Directors Meeting

Gabby Cooney, MSU Dietetic Intern

 Jenison and Hudsonville Public Schools

2/3/26

Foodservice Directors from all over West Michigan gathered at West Ottawa High School to discuss the development and improvement of school meal programs.  Healthcare Procurement Solutions (HPS) a group purchasing organization, presented on a recently updated system to assist schools with getting new products.  The Contract Analysis Tool (CAT), is an online platform that allows HPS members to trach purchasing and spending with Gordon Foo Service (GFS) partners.  While Cat is more efficient for HPS, Food Service Directors have expressed concerns about the time required to manage the system.  Some districts have limited staff support, which made it difficult to handle the work load and get the job done.  Potential Solutions discussed included developing a mobile application and involving brokers to make the process easier.  Directors also shared some strategies that have helped improve operations within their districts school meal system.  New food products, were discussed and reviewed to ensure they met the school meal requirements, as well as regulation. Finally, ideas for future professional development meetings were shared.  These seventeen members who cam together from carious district and companies, have helped with the overall improvement of Professional development in West Michigan school nutrition.