Understanding your students’ taste preferences is a sure-fire way to make successful changes in your school breakfast menu. Just ask Richland Bean Blossom (RBB) Community School Corporation – also known as Edgewood Schools – in Ellettsville, IN, who was awarded the Breakfast Trailblazer Award as part of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Initiative.

Vickie Coffey, Nutrition Services Director for RBB, worked alongside a registered dietitian consultant to understand which adjustments could be made to RBB’s breakfast menu to reduce added sugars and sodium.

After identifying new recipes lower in added sugars and sodium, RBB students were invited to get involved by trying the newly developed recipes through taste testing. With over 850 students participating in the taste tests, it’s safe to say the students’ voices were heard.

New recipe favorites from the taste tests included Baked Blueberry Oatmeal, (from Chef Ann Foundation’s “The Lunch Box” recipe collection) Bannock Bread, Peanut Butter Overnight Oats, Frozen Yogurt Bark, and Apple Cinnamon Sheet Pancake. Coffey said some students enjoyed the new recipes so much they kept asking for more!  Along with these recipes, RBB added a Homemade Hot Breakfast Sandwich and Homemade Breakfast Burrito in an effort to reduce sodium in their breakfast offerings.

See the strategies RBB implemented to reduce added sugars and sodium:

Other changes RBB made to reduce added sugars on their menu included using fresh fruit instead of  dried fruit, serving less grain-based desserts at breakfast and switching to cereals with lower added sugars.

Let’s celebrate Vickie Coffey and her staff at RBB on their successful menu changes to reduce added sugars and sodium! Their efforts will no doubt improve the overall health and well-being of students at RBB.

For more information on the Recognition Awards and how to apply, visit the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards website. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through June 30, 2025.

Stay tuned for more Cafeteria Chronicles stories from school districts nationwide. Check out our Cafeteria Chronicles Blog for more inspiring school nutrition transformations!