Shelf Stable Meal Options from Better 4 You Meals

As a food vendor that caters primarily to students and school districts across Arizona and Northern and Southern California, Better 4 You Meals provides over 80,000 meals each school day. Currently, these meal offerings include options for all three daily meals as well as a snack. In addition to hot breakfast options, Better 4 You Meals also provides shelf-stable breakfast options that can be easily and conveniently given to students.

While students across the country return to schools, one of the offerings that the food vendor provides is the option of a shelf stable breakfast. In addition to the breakfasts being prepackaged to provide additional safety, they meet the requirements of the federal School Breakfast Program. They also allow students the flexibility to eat them when received or later when they're hungry.

The Shelf Stable Meal Kits come in three varieties, all at the same price. Each one has 40 servings and are divided into three categories- meat/meat alternative, 2-grain, and 1-grain. Generally, this allows students to choose either two 1-grain, a 1-grain and a meat alternative, or a single 2-grain. In addition, each variety kit comes with eight kinds of items, with the main difference being the choice of meat or meat alternative, which can be chicken salad, red pepper hummus, or chocolate soy butter. 

Proper Nutrition Helps Students Learn

A school meal vendor based in Commerce, California, Better 4 You Meals upholds a commitment to providing California students with nutritious and balanced meals. Established in 2011, Better 4 You Meals partners with more than 220 schools in California to provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks through the National School Lunch Program.

According to research, inadequate nutrition can lead to impaired academic and social development. When students are hungry, they have a harder time focusing and digesting the information they are presented. According to a small 2005 study, kindergarten girls who received insufficient nutrition experienced lagging social skills and lower test scores, even years later.

When students eat a nutritious and balanced breakfast and lunch, they are better prepared to learn. Teachers and principals across the country report improved behavior and better academic performance after the implementation of school breakfast and lunch programs. Due to current school closures, Better 4 You Meals offers free meal pick-up from numerous sites in southern and northern California. To view a list of northern California distribution sites, visit https://better4youmeals.com/.

What Is National Breakfast Week?

Better 4 You Meals is a USDA-approved meal vendor for more than 250 schools in five counties, including Los Angeles and Orange, as well as the Greater Bay Area. During the 2020 National Breakfast Week, Better 4 You Meals celebrated the event with its partner schools across California.

Approximately 14 million American school children participate in the National School Breakfast Program, which was established by congressional action in 1975. Since 1989, recipients of the National School Breakfast Program, including public, private, and charter schools, observe National Breakfast Week (NBW) during the first week of March.

Schools may participate by serving special items for breakfast and running awareness campaigns discussing the nutritional benefits of eating breakfast. Students may suggest new items for the school breakfast menu or create informative posters explaining the importance of a healthy breakfast. According to a survey of schools that participate in NBW, nearly all schools experienced an uptake in students using the program after the event.