Lunch at school is not what it used to be, and that's a great thing. The Jamestown Schools have the proud distinction of being state leaders with their model lunch program, now in the second year.

Where more than two-thirds of the communities in Rhode Island are just beginning to accept the stricter nutrition rules imposed by the state this year, Jamestown is tweaking its already successfullyimplemented contract with food service provider Sodexo.

Rhode Island officially adopted new food nutrition criteria for school food service programs statewide. The criteria are based on the 2005 National Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, together with the Department of Agriculture. The criteria were created as the nutritional standards for the statewide food service management contract.

Starting this month, the Rhode Island Nutrition Requirements 2009 have been incorporated into the School Meals Initiative Review Process for the state. Now, federally reimbursable meals and snacks provided through any school meal program have to meet all current federal meal requirements and the state's more stringent requirements.

These requirements call for more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and less sodium in school meal offerings.

Two years ago, the Jamestown School Committee began a search for the best way to improve the school lunch program in order to meet federal guidelines. The quest was discussed at Health and Wellness Committee meetings. A staff representative from Kids First Rhode Island attended the sub-committee meetings, and told her boss about Jamestown's desire to find a suitable food service provider.

Kids First R.I. Executive Director Dorothy Brayley then contacted the school committee and offered assistance in writing a request for proposals. Brayley worked with the state's department of education in developing the stricter criteria and understood the new requirements. She joined forces with committee members Cathy Kaiser and Julie Kallfelz and wrote a call for bids from vendors that would include more aggressive food nutrition criteria that a new service would have to meet. "It's better than the federal lunch program," Brayley said.

Sodexho, a leading provider of food services management throughout North America, won the contract. The company was charged with the challenge to offer an improved meals program that included a wide variety of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, all with lower sodium content. "It's definitely better than other food services across the nation," Brayley added.

When asked about difficulties in implementing the program, Sodexo General Manager Solange Morrissette admitted that a big obstacle was with student acceptability. "Getting them interested in fruits and grains are constantly a challenge," Morrissette said. The school and Sodexo staff members agree that the service is still a work in progress and continues to strive to be better.

Regardless of challenges, Morrissette felt a great deal of acceptance with the program in Jamestown through conversations with parents and students. The number of students buying lunch has grown since Sodexo came to the island schools. "We are very proud of the program, partnering with Jamestown to pilot this program. We're glad to work with a community that's progressive, where a lot of people are doing a lot of great things."

An important step forward in improving the program is the installation of a new point-of-sale system in the cafeterias. "Kids will have a number," Morrissette explained. "It will speed up the lunch lines. They will feel more inclined to buy lunch and won't have to wait in line."

Hardware for the POS system is in place, and Sodexo hopes to implement it in the next few weeks, according to Morrissette. Parents will be able to put money in an account, like a debit card, and have the ability to pay online.

The food services director included the local school cafeteria workers in her praise. The Jamestown staff focuses on food presentation and is an integral part of making the service successful. "The food service staff has been remarkable," she said.

The Jamestown School Department has done such a good job that it received a special award for their progressive approach to school lunch. Over 300 school and community leaders met on Sept. 23, at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick, over a healthy, locally grown breakfast. The school leaders discussed the new nutrition criteria for school meals, RINR 2009, and the new Physical Education law that just passed in 2008 at the annual breakfast.

At a recent school committee meeting, Kaiser reminded the other members their goal was to improve school lunch offerings. "We've accomplished that goal," she said.