Food Service Update Graphic with a plate, fork, & knife

December 1, 2022

Dear Beach Park School District Students, Families, Guardians, and Community:

Today we are proud to announce that beginning Monday, December 5th, the hot lunch program at all of our schools will have an entirely different look, feel, and taste.  When we signed on with Quest Food Management System, we had to do so quickly because our previous provider abruptly went out of business.  Quest, at the time, did not have a local facility to prepare meals, so they outsourced to Gorilla Gourmet.  Because of the concerns we have had, and the concerns we have heard from all of you, we have been working with Quest to make a change, and that change is finally here.  Quest has quite a good reputation, serving over 115 school districts, including Gurnee and Warren Township.

The changes are bulleted below.  We thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention, and we are looking forward to a new beginning.

  • Lunch will no longer be “pre-packaged”.

  • Lunches will be delivered fresh to each school daily.

  • The menus will feature:

    • high-quality, whole ingredients that are made-to-order using the freshest ingredients and chef-crafted recipes;

    • seasonal and regional ingredients and a variety of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options;

    • milk without any added growth hormones, cage-free eggs, sustainable seafood, and USDA-certified proteins;

    • a program that is tailored to our school community, based on feedback from parents and students to meet our needs;

    • No pork items will be served.

  • Students will also see cafeteria improvements, including a new food service line wherein students will be served a main dish and then be able to select their fruits and vegetables.

  • We are implementing the FD MealPlanner platform which allows families to easily review menus, nutritional data, and allergen information.  Parents and students can view the ingredients of each meal and combine multiple menu items together to see total nutritional content.  Menus and the FD MealPlanner can be found on the BPD3 website.

Finally, our school breakfast program will continue to offer breakfast which is free to all students. Students will find a variety of new menu items they will love and that are nutritious.

Sincerely,

Dr. Donald A. McKinney,

Interim Associate Superintendent

and

Mr. Eric Baran,

Food Services Coordinator