Distribution of School Meals During COVID-19 Quarantine: Suggested Best Practices for Food Service Personnel

While schools are closed during the COVID-19 quarantine, most are still providing meals so that children do not miss out on meals that they would normally be served. Although sit-down meals are prohibited due to social distancing requirements, providing school meals on a “grab-and-go” basis can also prove challenging as social distancing measures require that people do not come in direct contact with each other.

These best practice suggestions for maintaining safe social distance while distributing school meals is based on guidance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as anecdotal reporting of successful approaches currently in use. These guidelines are intended for use by schools and school food service personnel in preparing and distributing school meals during COVID-19 school closures.

While this document primarily focuses on safety and risk of COVID-19, it also touches on food safety and prevention of foodborne disease.

Preparing School Meals

While meal preparation may be consistent with normal school operation, special care must be taken to maintain the health of food service workers.

1. Food service staff should always wear gloves and a face covering that covers both the mouth and nose when working with others and/or while preparing or packaging food.
2. Food service staff should exercise proper handwashing practices.
3. Providing prepackaged foods or those that require minimum preparation will help limit the time food service staff handles food and works together in an enclosed space.
4. While school food service personnel are generally well-trained in food safety, previous trainings may not have included considerations for conditions where food is being kept and distributed at outside locations. Staff may need specific training in food safety protocols for storing and distributing school meals at other pick-up locations.
   1. This might include training on using ice or gel packs to keep foods cold or training on proper use of insulated containers.
   2. This document does not focus on food safety, so for more information please consult appropriate resources like the USDA Office of Food Safety.
5. For detailed information on school food personnel safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, check this page on the CDC’s website regularly for the latest information: What School Nutrition Professionals and Volunteers at Schools Need to Know about COVID-19.

Distributing School Meals

Distributing school meals during school closures may present several logistical challenges for food service staff and families. In addition to the information immediately below, please see the following section for options in delivery models.

1. Food service staff should always wear gloves and a face covering over the mouth and nose when interacting with the public.
2. Prepackage complete, reimbursable meals for easy grab-and-go. This will limit the amount of time each person needs to spend at the pick-up location.
3. Distribute multiple meals at once. Include up to 5 days’ worth of breakfast and lunch to decrease the number of times families must travel to the pick-up location per week. Consolidating meal distribution minimizes logistical challenges while also reinforcing social distancing.
4. Keep siblings’ meals together for quick and easy pick-up. Keeping siblings’ meals at one site ensures that families do not have to travel to multiple sites or spend more time at the pick-up location than necessary. If any allergy issues exist for siblings, be sure to keep allergenic foods separate from other foods.
5. Pick-up periods should last at least 3 hours. This will make it easier for families to pick up meals, as well as allow for appropriate social distancing.
6. Include food safety instructions in meal packages to ensure proper food safety protocol is followed once meals are brought home by families.

Remember that some foods require time and temperature control for food safety (TCS). These foods may also be referred to as Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHF). Any distribution systems for school meals modified due to COVID-19 will need to ensure appropriate temperature control to prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

Models of Meal Distribution

Consider methods that shorten client service times and limit unnecessary face-to-face interactions.

Outdoor Distribution

Food distribution in outside areas is highly preferable to inside areas. Whenever possible, designate an outside area as the pick-up location, such as a parking lot or lawn of a school, park or other non-profit location. This will allow space for social distancing.

1. In school districts where families are likely to walk, bike, or use public transportation, pick-up sites under tents or near the school front doors are good options. Food service staff should implement no-contact pick-up protocols that does not require person-to-person contact to collect food.
2. In school districts where most families are expected to drive, curbside pick-up is a good option. Drivers and passengers should remain in the car while a staff person puts food either in the trunk or the back seat. However, it is important to have a clearly articulated alternative for those without cars as well.

Meal Delivery

For districts where families have a difficult time getting to a local school, particularly for rural districts where traveling to a central location may not be feasible for families, enlisting the help of the district’s bus drivers and using bus routes to drop off meals at or near students’ homes is a good option.

Example: Old Bridge, NJ school bus drivers and food service employees are using a combination of buses and vans to deliver school meals to various distribution sites and directly to students’ homes who are unable to travel to distribution sites.

Consider other delivery options to bring food to students’ homes, such as school faculty and staff delivering food to students’ homes, if feasible.

Indoor Distribution

If an outside area is not an option, choose a large inside area of a non-profit location that allows space for social distancing, such as a gymnasium or cafeteria. This is the least preferable option.

1. Use clear signage (in all languages spoken within the school district) to designate where people should stand in line, with markers spaced six feet apart to ensure that people maintain proper distance. Tape on the ground is a good option as it is not easily moved or removed.
2. Designate a staff person with a face covering to enforce social distancing.
3. Prop doors open so people do not touch doorknobs or handles.

Improving Access to School Meals

School closures may present a barrier for many families in accessing school meals. However, certain strategies can help to ensure that more families receive food during this time.

1. Alternative distribution sites may be useful because transportation may be a barrier for some families.
   1. Organize meal pick-ups at locations that are closest to families’ residences, which may or may not be the school that a child is currently attending.
   2. If schools are far from most residences, use an alternate, state-approved community site, such as a park or community center that is in a more central location.
   3. Use a site that is accessible to public transportation if this is likely to be how families will travel to pick up meals.
2. Use easy-to-carry packaging for quick grab-and-go and ease of transportation for families.
3. Schools should consider operating as an open site, meaning that they can serve and claim all children age 18 and under. All meals at open sites can be reimbursed at the free rate, regardless of free and reduced status of the student, and a tally count is acceptable. Open sites can serve many more meals than closed sites.
4. Schools that serve meals through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option (SSO) should consider the option to distribute meals that students may eat over the weekend.
   1. Example: Bridgeton, NJ public schools operate as an open site and distribute meals twice per week. On Mondays, students receive breakfast and lunch for Monday-Wednesday. On Thursdays, they receive breakfast and lunch for Thursday-Sunday.

Special Considerations

Some families have particular risk factors to consider, including allergies, other special dietary needs, and food insecurity.

1. If a family member has tested positive for COVID-19, is presumed positive, is exhibiting symptoms, or is in self-quarantine, consider delivery for that family, even if you cannot provide it district-wide.
2. In cases of special dietary needs, label meals clearly with the student’s name for easy and quick no-contact pick-up.
3. Include allergen information in meal packages to ensure that families are aware of any potential allergen issues.
4. Consider working with school social workers or family liaisons to identify families who may need extra food.
   1. Working with local food pantries to obtain extra food to supply families in need during meal distribution may be possible.
   2. Parent-teacher organizations may also donate fundraised money to support feeding low-income students.
   • Example: At Princeton Charter School in NJ, the administrative staff delivers the following to the homes of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch: breakfast and lunches from their food service provider, bulk foods and grocery store gift cards purchased with donations, and food from a local pantry.
5. If there is leftover food after all meals have been distributed, consider donating it to a local food pantry or soup kitchen. Contact the food pantry or soup kitchen in advance to see if their rules allow such donations and if so, what food safety protocols are required.

Communications

Communication is key to ensuring that school meals are distributed safely. All COVID-19 safety measures adopted should be communicated to those picking up food to ensure that protocols are followed.

1. This information should be communicated in writing and verbally.
2. Text messages, robo-calls and emails should all be used, as well as on-site signage as appropriate.
   1. Use all communications channels available to you and that you would use during routine communications with families.
3. This information should be communicated prior to meal distribution and may need to be repeated during meal distribution.
4. Be sure to communicate in all languages spoken within the school district.

Other information to be communicated includes

1. Menu
2. Allergy information
3. The expectation that individuals who come to pick up food should always wear a face covering that covers both their mouths and noses.

Rules, regulations, and guidance regarding the distribution of school meals during COVID-19-related school closures may vary by state. Contact the entity that oversees school meal administration in your state with specific questions.

For More Information

1. What School Nutrition Professionals and Volunteers at Schools Need to Know about COVID-19
2. School Nutrition Association Member Resources: COVID-19
3. USDA Food and Nutrition Service Documents and Resources
4. Best Practices for Retail Food Stores, Restaurants, and Food Pick-Up/Delivery Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

References

1. What School Nutrition Professionals and Volunteers at Schools Need to Know about COVID-19, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2. Ensuring Access to the Child Nutrition Programs In the Event of School Closures (PDF), Food Research and Action Center
3. Best Practices for Retail Food Stores, Restaurants, and Food Pick-Up/Delivery Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
4. Emerging Strategies and Tactics for Meal Service During School Closures Related to the Coronavirus (pdf), NoKidHungry.org
5. Child Nutrition Program Meal Service during Coronavirus Outbreaks: Questions and Answers #3 (PDF), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
6. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on considerations for school closure (pdf)

May 2020