How Schools Can Use AI to Improve Their Meal Programs and Save Time

Running a school meal program can be tough. Between planning menus, placing orders with your vendor, making sure meals are healthy, and getting kids excited about eating lunch, there’s always something to do. That’s where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in. AI might sound complicated, but it’s really just using computer programs that can think and learn like people. And it can make your job a lot easier! 

Here’s how schools can use AI to make their meal programs better and save time. 

Coming Up with Fun Ideas to Get Students Excited 

AI tools like ChatGPT are like an assistant that can give you ideas in seconds. If you’re planning a theme for lunch menus, a fun contest for National School Lunch Week, or a healthy eating challenge, AI can suggest creative ideas you might not think of on your own. Instead of spending hours brainstorming, you can get lots of ideas in just a few minutes. 

Making Posters and Flyers Look Amazing 

Many schools don’t have a designer on staff, but that’s okay! Canva is an easy-to-use online tool that helps you make posters, flyers, and social media posts. It uses AI to help you pick colors, fonts, and layouts that look great. Even if you’re not a designer, you can quickly make professional-looking materials to share with students and families. 

Here’s an example of how to use Canva’s AI feature to create a flyer. Simply enter your prompt with as much detail as possible into the search bar, and Canva will generate a flyer for you. You can always make edits to the flyer after it’s created.

Keeping Social Media Simple and Effective 

Posting updates on social media can be time-consuming, but AI can help too. Tools like Hootsuite or Meta Business Suite can schedule your posts at the best times to reach people, suggest hashtags to get more views, and even track which posts get the most attention. This means you can share meal updates, fun photos, and event news without spending all day on your phone or computer. 

Understanding Student Feedback Faster 

It’s important to know what students think about the food you serve, but reading through all their comments can take forever. AI can quickly go through surveys and feedback forms, find common themes, and suggest what to do next. This helps you make changes to menus or introduce new items that students will enjoy more. 

Creating NSLP-Compliant Meals Easily 

Planning menus that meet the NSLP rules can be a challenge, especially when balancing nutrition, cost, and student preferences. AI tools can help here too! They can suggest meal options that meet NSLP guidelines for calories, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein. AI can also check ingredient lists and portion sizes to make sure you stay compliant. This saves your team time and helps you create menus that are both healthy and exciting for students. 

Here is an example of how to use ChatGPT to create a compliant meal for Taco Tuesday.

Saving Time on Everyday Tasks 

AI can also handle some of the day-to-day work that takes up your time. For example, it can send automatic reminders to parents about special menus or allergy information. It can help plan menus that meet nutrition rules and stay within budget, and it can even help write performance reviews for staff. All of this gives you more time to focus on what matters most: feeding students well. 

Staying Organized All Year Long 

Planning your meal program is a lot easier when you have a clear schedule. AI tools can help create a timeline for the whole school year, showing when to plan new menus, when to run surveys, and when to promote events. This way, you’ll always be prepared and can avoid last-minute stress. 

Tools You Can Start Using Now 

You don’t need to be a tech expert to start using AI! Some easy, free tools to try are: 

• ChatGPT: Helps write newsletters, content for flyers home to families, social media posts, and more. 

• Canva: Makes posters, flyers, and graphics that look great. 

• Grammarly: Checks your writing for mistakes. 

• Google Forms or SurveyMonkey: Collects student feedback and uses AI to analyze it. 

The Bottom Line 

AI isn’t just something for tech companies, it can help schools too! By using simple AI tools, you can make your meal program more fun and engaging, get students more involved, and save time for your team. 

Ready to bring AI into your school’s meal program? Start with simple tools like ChatGPT and Canva to save time on everyday tasks, so you can use your valuable (and sometimes limited) free time to focus on what matters most!