Key Takeaways
- Recognizes a percentage shift from processed to scratch-prepared menu items.
- Evaluated on sustained integration, not one-week experiments.
- Staff training and equipment investments show up often in winning applications.
- Eligibility: any SFA participating in NSLP and/or SBP.
The Innovation in Prep and Scratch Cooking Award recognizes School Food Authorities that have moved a meaningful share of their menu from pre-made or heavily processed items to from-scratch preparation. This guide covers how the measurement works, what sustained change looks like, and what common pitfalls to avoid.
What Counts as Scratch
The criteria define scratch preparation in specific terms. Items made from raw or minimally processed ingredients count as scratch. Items assembled from multiple pre-made components generally don't. The line matters for measurement: applicants report the percentage of menu items that meet the scratch definition, compared to their baseline before the intervention. Read the definition in the PDF carefully before finalizing your application.
How Percentage Is Measured
The standard approach is to audit a representative menu cycle, classify each item as scratch or not, and calculate the percentage. Baseline and current-period cycles get the same treatment so the comparison is apples-to-apples. Districts with nutritional analysis software can often pull this classification directly; districts without can work with their State Agency or do a manual audit.
Investments That Show Up in Winning Applications
Kitchen equipment: combi ovens, tilting skillets, walk-in coolers, proper dishwashers. Staff training: technique, food safety, batch cooking, recipe adaptation. Procurement changes: building relationships with suppliers of raw ingredients. Recipe development: adapting standardized recipes to institutional scale. Menu redesign: rebuilding cycles around scratch-feasible ingredients. Applications that show all five layers tend to score the strongest.
What Sustained Change Looks Like
A single-cycle jump in scratch percentage isn't competitive. Reviewers want to see the shift held up across multiple cycles and, ideally, years. Staff skills matter here: programs that invested in training sustain the change; programs that bought equipment without training often revert when the kitchen staff changes.
Documentation Requirements
Baseline menu audit with scratch percentage calculated. Current-period audit with the same methodology. Narrative of operational changes: equipment purchases, staff training, procurement shifts, recipe development. Photos of dishes as served. Participation data showing the shift didn't hurt student engagement. Evidence of ongoing sustainability: staff training records, procurement contracts, updated standardized recipes.
How to Apply
Download the criteria PDF. Define the scratch classification carefully and apply it consistently to baseline and current cycles. Build the narrative around the operational investments that made the shift possible. Engage your State Agency for review before submission.
Common Application Pitfalls
- Inconsistent scratch classification between baseline and current cycles.
- Applications showing a big single-cycle shift but no evidence of sustainability.
- Equipment-only narratives without training. Reviewers have seen plenty of programs that bought equipment and reverted when staff turnover hit.
- Missing participation data. A scratch shift that lost students doesn't demonstrate the change is working.