Incorporating culturally inclusive recipes is one way that school nutrition programs can engage school community members and leverage resources to increase student enthusiasm and participation in school meal programs.
What are culturally inclusive recipes? Culturally inclusive recipes are developed as a collaboration between school nutrition professionals and members of cultural groups within the school community. Culturally inclusive recipes are created from foods that hold significance and are familiar to a particular culture or cultural subgroup in the school community. They honor and acknowledge cultural integrity while providing required meal components as part of USDA’s National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.
To serve culturally inclusive recipes in schools, the recipes need to be standardized and meet meal pattern requirements for Child Nutrition Programs.
This toolkit provides resources and information for school nutrition program operators and the school community to collaborate on identifying, developing, testing, and incorporating culturally inclusive recipes into school meal programs.
How to use this Toolkit Video
FAQs
Who is the intended audience of this Culturally Inclusive Recipe Toolkit?
This Culturally Inclusive Recipe Toolkit is designed for school nutrition program administrators, directors, supervisors, managers, menu planners, school chefs, and other school nutrition leaders. It includes tools and resources to engage with the school community and identify, test, standardize, implement, and market culturally inclusive recipes that reflect the cultural foods important to the students and families served.
What are the benefits of culturally inclusive recipes in school nutrition programs?
School nutrition menus with culturally inclusive recipes reflect the diverse food cultures and traditions of students communities and can promote a sense of belonging. They can expand school menu offerings and increase student participation and community engagement in school nutrition programs.
Are culturally inclusive recipes only for foods that originated outside the United States?
Culturally inclusive recipes can be developed with students and families/caregivers from any cultural group in your school community.
What is the difference between culturally diverse recipes and culturally inclusive recipes?
A menu with culturally diverse recipes means having a variety of foods and flavor profiles that represent broader food choices from areas other than the predominant culture. For example, foods and flavors on a culturally diverse menu may include common items from other countries such as tacos (Mexico), gyros (Greece), chana masala (northern India), and ramen (Japan). While culturally diverse recipes may provide opportunities for students to experience a broader range of foods and flavors, the recipes do not necessarily reflect foods a student may eat outside of the school setting in their own community.
Culturally inclusive recipes are specific to the students in the school community. The school recipes are generally developed in partnership with students, families/caregivers, and community members. Without community engagement and participation in identifying, developing, testing, and implementing a recipe, it cannot be considered a culturally inclusive recipe.
Can cultural foods be marketed as “authentic,” “inspired,” or “influenced” when served in school meals?
Avoid advertising cultural foods in your school meal programs as “authentic.” Cultural foods are authentic when prepared and served in their cultural context. School meal recipe can be “inspired” or “influenced” by a school community member’s cultural foods and recipes. Calling a menu item based on a cultural food an “authentic” item can be disrespectful or alienating to the cultural community. Include members of the cultural community in taste testing of the final adapted recipes and reviewing marketing materials to ensure they retain cultural integrity before introducing the new items on your school menus.
Acknowledgments and Disclaimer
The Culturally Inclusive Recipe Toolkit was developed by the Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition with assistance from an expert panel workgroup of child nutrition culinary professionals:
Bettina Applewhite, Garrett Berdan, Chela Cooper, Samantha Gasbarro, Laura Bullene Jacobo, Aaron Smith.
Disclaimer
This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service through an agreement with the Institute of Child Nutrition at the University of Mississippi. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
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Suggested Reference Citation:
Institute of Child Nutrition. (2024). Culturally Inclusive Recipe Toolkit. University, MS: Author.
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©2024, Institute of Child Nutrition, The University of Mississippi, School of Applied Sciences
About the Institute of Child Nutrition:
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN), part of the School of Applied Sciences at The University of Mississippi, is the only federally funded national center dedicated to applied research, education and training, and technical assistance for child nutrition programs. The Institute was established by Congress in the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 1989. It is funded by a grant administered through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). The specific duties of the Institute can be found in Section 21 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The Institute’s mission is to provide information and services that promote the continuous improvement of child nutrition programs.
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) is the only federally funded national center dedicated to applied research, education and training, and technical assistance for child nutrition programs. The ICN was established by Congress in the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 1989. As a national center, the Institute provides information, conducts applied research, and offers training and education opportunities using appropriate technology.
More information about The ICN can be found on the website About ICN – Institute of Child Nutrition (theicn.org)
About the Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) collaborated to create the Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition (CICN), a division of the ICN, in response to the need for culinary training, tools and resources to support school nutrition program operators. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) identified a need to provide schools with the training, tools, and resources to prepare student- accepted school meals, thereby increasing student consumption of healthy foods and reducing plate waste. The ICN has over 25 years of experience providing training to school nutrition programs on various topics, including culinary skills, marketing school meals, student engagement, and food safety. The USDA and ICN have collaborated to create the Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition, a division of the ICN, with a principal mission to increase the culinary skills of school nutrition programs by providing culinary training programs and resources to support Child Nutrition Operators to prepare and serve healthy, culinary-inspired school meals from scratch and elevate the cafeteria atmosphere. The CICN is a division of the ICN, the only federally funded national center dedicated to applied research, education and training, and technical assistance for Child Nutrition Programs.
More information about CICN can be found on the website Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition – A division of the Institute of Child Nutrition (theicn.org)
