Creating and Certifying Smarter School Menus: USDA-Compliant, Practical, and Appealing
Menu Support for State Agencies & Sponsors
Great menus do more than meet the rules — they also run smoothly in the kitchen, appeal to students, and hold up during reviews. At CN Resource, our industry-leading team of Registered Dietitians (RDs) and School Nutrition Specialists (SNS) support state agencies and sponsors in certifying, analyzing, and building menus that are compliant, practical, and engaging.
Learn more about all the menu services we provide below.
Learn more about all the menu services we provide below.
Menu Reviews & Certification
Independent, expert reviews that verify USDA compliance and sharpen day-to-day menu performance.
Our Team Reviews
- Menus against USDA meal pattern requirements and federal nutrition standards
- Documentation such as production records, standardized recipes, CN Labels, and manufacturer statements
- Submitted nutrient analyses, including recipe/label validation against production records when needed
How It Works
- 1.Gather Documentation:We collect your menus, production records, and supporting menu documents (recipes, nutrition facts labels, and CN labels or Product Formulation Statements).
- 2.Worksheet Completion:Our trained reviewers determine meal contributions and complete USDA Menu Certification Worksheets.
- 3.Findings & Fixes:You’ll receive an easy-to-understand report with identified issues, helpful corrective actions, and practical revisions to bring menus into compliance.
Deliverables
- Completed USDA certification worksheets
- Concise findings summary with recommended changes
- Prioritized action list for quick compliance wins
Creative, compliant, and completely customized school menus—without the stress.
Menu Development
At CN Resource, we create high-quality, participation-driven menus that make your program shine all school-year long. Our team customizes each menu to your unique needs, using flexible designs and a variety of menu planning techniques to ensure a perfect fit for your district.
We handle the details—so you can focus on your students and your program’s bigger goals. Every menu we create is fully supported and guaranteed to meet USDA meal pattern requirements.
We handle the details—so you can focus on your students and your program’s bigger goals. Every menu we create is fully supported and guaranteed to meet USDA meal pattern requirements.
Our Menu Development Process Includes
- Flexible information gathering sessions where we learn more about your district and unique needs
- Customized menu design and planning based on your district’s goals and preferences
- Maintenance of CN Labels and Product Formulation Statements
- Recipes, production records, and supporting documents for each menu item
- Compliance review to ensure USDA alignment
- Best practice suggestions and real-world examples from successful programs
Why Choose CN Resource for Menu Development?
- 1. We handle compliance—so you don’t have to worry about it.
- 2. We build menus that increase participation and student satisfaction.
- 3. We save your team time and administrative effort.
- 4. We bring decades of USDA school meal experience.
- 5. We tailor every menu to your specific district, not a one-size-fits-all template.
Let us manage the data so you can manage the program.
Menu Database Maintenance
Your ingredient and recipe database is the foundation of everything you do—accurate menus, production records, and compliance all depend on it. But maintaining that data takes serious time. That’s where CN Resource comes in.
We take the burden off your plate by updating and maintaining your menu databases in the required USDA formats. Whether you need help getting started or want to clean up years of data, our team has you covered.
We take the burden off your plate by updating and maintaining your menu databases in the required USDA formats. Whether you need help getting started or want to clean up years of data, our team has you covered.
What We Do
- Input and maintain all required ingredients in the correct USDA-approved format
- Standardize and maintain recipes for consistent preparation and yields
- Audit your existing database for accuracy using manufacturer and vendor data
- Support special projects such as bulk ingredient entry or high-volume recipe data work
- Provide start-up support to quickly populate ingredients, recipes, and cycle menus
With CN Resource, you can be confident that your data is clean, accurate, and audit-ready—without losing valuable time you could spend managing your program.
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