There are few foods that are as nutritious and well-loved as peanut butter. It offers a nutritious option that counts as a protein in the school meal.
More than 98% of school-age children can enjoy peanuts without any issue and food allergies can be safely managed in schools while still making them available to non-allergic students.
National Peanut Board is always looking for ways to support school nutrition professionals as they work to serve nutritious and safe meals to their students. We’re proud to have partnered with the School Nutrition Association for a new webinar, Adopting Top Food Trends & Managing Allergies at School Breakfast, now available for school nutrition professionals on demand. School breakfast is one area where we believe peanut butter has great potential to help school nutrition experts adopt some popular trends, while meeting student’s nutrition needs. In the webinar, Donna Martin, Ed.S., RDN, L.D., SNS, FAND and school nutrition director in Burke County, Georgia, and I help answer common questions about serving peanut butter products during school breakfast – and to show how peanut butter can fit regardless of how breakfast is served.
There’s a common saying in school nutrition that a food is not nutritious if kids don’t eat it. Peanuts not only provide more plant-based protein than any other nut (7 grams per serving), they also may make other healthy foods, like whole-grains and vegetables, more appealing to kids.
School breakfast is an essential part of getting kids ready to learn, so this year's School Breakfast Week theme of Score Big with School Breakfast truly fits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting this need has been challenging because kids aren't always in school in person, types of service offered has varied greatly, and there have been a variety of barriers to overcome for both school foodservice personnel and participating students. But child hunger doesn’t take a break and neither did our country’s school nutrition heroes. In fact, school nutrition pros have gone above and beyond to help meet the needs of students.