NFSMI Insight is an informational newsletter based on research and educational projects sponsored by the National Food Service Management Institute. This user-friendly publication summarizes the research or project and emphasizes the "so what" by giving practical suggestions that can be used by local CNP directors to enhance their operations.
Insight No. 47 -- Perceptions of School Nutrition Professionals Regarding Their Roles in School WellnessStudy to identify school nutrition directors' and manager's perceptions of their roles in and responsibilities for contributing to the school wellness environment.
View or DownloadInsight No. 46 -- Exploring Trends and Barriers to Implementation of Branding Concepts in the School Nutrition SettingBranding strategies used in exemplary school nutrition
programs and barriers to implementing these strategies. Published 2012.
View or DownloadInsight No. 45 -- The Impact of Healthy Menu Choices on School Nutrition ProgramsThis Insight is the result of a research project investigating the practices, perceptions, barriers and training/resource needs of school nutrition professionals providing healthy menu choices in school nutrition programs. Published 2012.
View or DownloadInsight No. 44 -- Research-Based Competencies Identified as Important to Being a Successful School Nutrition DirectorReport on research to identify the current competencies, knowledge, and skills needed by district-level school nutrition professionals and determine the importance of these competencies. 2011.
View or DownloadInsight No. 43 -- School Nutrition Directors and Managers Identify Resources and Training Methods to Aid in Implementation of HACCP-Based Food Safety Programs in School Nutrition ProgramsView or DownloadInsight No. 42 -- Child Care Providers Partner with NFSMI, ARD to Develop a Best Practice Wellness Resource for Child Care CentersResearch into best practices and factors that contribute to creating and maintaining a wellness environment in child care results in new online resources. 2011.
View or DownloadInsight No. 41 -- School Professionals Identify Best Practices for Serving Students with Special Food and/or Nutrition NeedsResults of two studies to identify the needs of professionals who serve the growing number of students with special food and/or nutrition needs in school nutrition programs are discussed, along with a Web-based best practice resource tool. 2010.
View or DownloadInsight No. 40 -- Best Practice Guide for Improving High School Participation and Satisfaction in the National School Lunch ProgramLearn about the series of multi-faceted studies addressing high school student satisfaction and declining participation at the high school level. 2010.
View or DownloadInsight No. 39 -- High School Students and School Nutrition Directors Help Develop Surveys for Increasing Participation and Satisfaction with the National School Lunch ProgramAs a result of research conducted by NFSMI Applied Research Division, two high school foodservice surveys were developed to increase high school students' participation and satisfaction with the NSLP. 2010.
View or DownloadInsight No. 38 -- School Professionals Identify Best Practices for Recess Before LunchTwo studies conducted by NFSMI Applied Research Division provided insight into recess before lunch as a multi-faceted approach. 2009
View or DownloadInsight No. 37 -- Keys to Successful Local Wellness Policy Development and Implementation in Four School DistrictsThis study identified processes and resources used by four school districts in developing a local wellness policy and assessed the various wellness goals of each school district's local wellness policy. 2009
View or DownloadInsight No. 36 -- Local Wellness Policy Implementation Provides Unique Partnership Opportunities for School Nutrition Directors, Principals, Teachers, and ParentsResearchers at NFSMI Applied Research Division recognized the importance of a team approach to instill healthy life-long habits into students. Learn how school personnel can work as a team to implement a school wellness policy. 2009
View or DownloadInsight No. 35 -- On-the-Job Training for School Nutrition Assistants/Technicians is EssentialResearch study to bring about agreement on functional areas for job duties performed by SN assistants/technicians. 2007.
View or DownloadInsight No. 34 -- Vended Reimbursable Lunches- A New Option for Serving High School StudentsResearch study to determine barriers to vending a reimbursable lunch to high school students. Summer 2007.
View or DownloadInsight No. 33 -- School Principals are Key to Implementing a Local Wellness PolicyResearch study to determine the principals' intention to implement the local wellness policy. Spring 2007.
View or DownloadInsight No. 32 -- A Team Approach Among School Professionals is Essential to Serving the Needs of the PreK Child in the Public School SettingResearch study to explore the practices, perceptions, and perceived barriers facing school nutrition directors, school nutrition managers, and other school professionals. Spring 2006.
View or DownloadInsight No. 31 -- Summer Food Service Program Sponsors Identify Barriers to Participation and Support Community PartnershipsResearch study to evaluate the SFSP sponsor's perception of the benefits and barriers related to operating the program and to access practices used by sponsors to increase participation. Spring 2006.
View or DownloadInsight No. 30 -- Focus Groups Identify Barriers to Recess Placement Prior to Lunch in Elementary SchoolsResearch study to determine barriers to scheduling recess prior to lunch in schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. Summer 2006.
View or DownloadInsight No. 29 -- School Nutrition Directors Discuss the Issues Influencing School Breakfast ParticipationResearch related to student participation in the School Breakfast Program and individual improvements in academic performance. Spring 2006.
View or DownloadInsight No. 28 -- Family Day Care Home Providers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program Identify Training Needs and Support Training MentorsStudy to access the needs and issues associated with the training of FDCH providers participating in the USDA CACFP. Spring 2006.
View or DownloadInsight No. 27 -- Child Nutrition Archives: Preserving Child Nutrition Programs' PastAn overview of the child nutrition archives at NFSMI. Fall 2005.
View or DownloadInsight No. 26 -- HACCP Initiatives at NFSMI: Building a Nationwide Network Dedicated to School Food SafetyResearch related to NFSMI's unique and personable way of facilitating HACCP education to schools-by creating a national network of HACCP trainers. Summer 2006.
View or DownloadInsight No. 25 -- Revised Competencies, Knowledge, and Skill Statements for School Nutrition ManagersResearch project to revise the competencies, knowledge, and skill statements of school nutrition managers and determine knowledge and skill statements essential for entry level. Spring 2004.
View or DownloadInsight No. 24 -- Relationships of Meal and Recess Schedules to Plate Waste in Elementary SchoolsStudy to determine the impact of lunch placement in the school day relative to recess and length of lunchtime on nutrient consumption of third through fifth grade students. Spring 2004.
View or DownloadInsight No. 23 -- NFSMI Technical Assistance ServiceResearch findings from a telephone survey of site contacts and review of reports and action plans submitted to NFSMI by the consultants after TAS visits. Winter 2004.
View or DownloadInsight No. 22 -- Healthy School Nutrition Environment: A Nationwide Survey of School PersonnelResearch results of a survey to learn more about a health school nutrition environment from perspective of school personnel.
View or DownloadInsight No. 21 -- Steps to Nutrition Success Checklist ...a Program Self-Assessment Tool for Family Day Care Home and Child Care Center Providers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food ProgramResearch study to develop a program self-assessment checklist based on established standards that focus on the needs of family day care providers participating in the CACFP. Summer 2003.
View or DownloadInsight No. 20 -- Meeting the Needs of Aspiring Child Nutrition ProfessionalsResearch related to the evaluation of NFSMI's "Orientation to Child Nutrition Management Seminar." Spring 2002.
View or DownloadInsight No. 19 -- Quality Financial Decision MakingResearch project to provide consistent, organized information for financial decision making and benchmarking. Spring 2002.
View or DownloadInsight No. 18 -- Job Duties, Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of Sponsor Monitors of Family Day Care Homes Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food ProgramA three-phase research study to identify job duties, competencies, knowledge, and skills of sponsor monitors in the CACFP environment. Winter 2002.
View or DownloadInsight No. 17 -- Barriers to a Good Nutrition Environment in the Middle Grades - Views From School Administrators, Teachers, and Foodservice AdministratorsA focus-group study to identify the nature of the nutrition environment in the middle grades. Spring 2001.
View or DownloadInsight No. 16 -- Hands-On-Team Technical Assistance - Evaluation of the ProjectResearch results on the benefits of the on-site technical assistance provided by consultants. Winter 2001.
View or DownloadInsight No. 15 -- Training Needs of Child Care Center Staff Involved in the Child and Adult Care Food Program - Results of Focus Group MeetingsResearch on the training needs for child care centers participating in the CACFP. Summer 2000.
View or DownloadInsight No. 14 -- Best Practices in School Foodservice - Practical Ideas to Improve Customer ServiceStudy to identify schools with high customer satisfaction measured by foodservice surveys and share their great ideas with all schools. Spring 2000.
View or DownloadInsight No. 13 -- Culinary Techniques for Healthy School Meals: Train the Trainer Participant Survey - Evaluation of This Train-the-Trainer Workshop Research to examine the effectiveness of the Master Trainer Workshops for "The Culinary Techniques for Healthy School Meals" program.
View or DownloadInsight No. 12 -- Measuring and Evaluating the Adequacy of the School Lunch Period - Results of Time to Eat Study Time study to determine the length of time required by a customer to receive service. April 1999.
View or DownloadInsight No. 11 -- Increasing Participation by High School Students in the School Lunch Program - Factors to Consider in Increasing High School Participation RatesStudy to identify factors associated with participation by high school students in the NSLP. October 1998.
View or DownloadInsight No. 10 -- Revenue Generation and Cost Control Measures Currently Used in Financially Successful CNPs - Case Study Reveals Keys to Financial Success of School Food Service ProgramsResearch to determine revenue generation and cost control measures used in school districts that operate financially successful CNPs. February 1998.
View or DownloadInsight No. 9 -- How Can We Be Sure The Students Are Eating a Nutritious School Lunch? Serve Healthful Entrees! - Effectiveness of Point-of-Choice Nutrition EducationStudies measuring the impact of point-of-choice nutrition education activities. November 1997.
View or DownloadInsight No. 8 -- High School Foodservice Survey: A Continuous Improvement Tool - Using NFSMI's Student Customer Satisfaction SurveyResearch on using student foodservice surveys. September 1997.
View or DownloadInsight No. 7 -- Healthy Cuisine for Kids - Changing Food Production to Meet the DGAsResearch on the importance of implementing the DGA in school meals to provide healthy meals for improving the health and well- being of the nation's children. February 1997.
View or DownloadInsight No. 6 -- Equipping School Kitchens to Prepare Healthful Meals - Guidelines for Selecting and Adapting Equipment for Food Production Areas Research on the importance of foodservice equipment in food quality and presentation techniques. November 1996.
View or DownloadInsight No. 5 -- Using Computer Simulation to Solve School Foodservice Problems -- Learning About Workflow by Using Computer Simulation Models Research on the use of computer simulation in foodservice management. July 1996.
View or DownloadInsight No. 4 -- Purchasing Decisions for Cost Effective Implementation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans -- Designing an Effective Food Purchasing System Research results on the best purchasing system for Child Nutrition Programs. December 1995.
View or DownloadInsight No. 3 -- Networks of Trained CNP Professionals -- Using the NETPRO Model Research on using a network of trained professionals. October 1995.
View or DownloadInsight No. 2 -- Job Functions and Tasks of School Nutrition Managers and District Directors/Supervisors Research on determining the functions and tasks of qualified employees. March 1995.
View or DownloadInsight No. 1 -- Managing Nutrition Services for Children with Special NeedsResearch results on to how to manage nutrition for special needs children. July 1994.
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