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    Lunch Madness text with clementine inside of a basketball net

    Pennsylvania School Lunch Madness

    We’re inviting schools across the Commonwealth to share the school lunch entrée that students love to see on the menu! We’ll be featuring qualifying recipes in a friendly competition across PDE’s social media channels where users can vote for the lunch they’d put on their tray.

     

    Contest winners will be invited to send students and a representative from the school nutrition team to star in a professionally filmed video featuring the preparation and tasting of their winning entrée!*

    How to Participate

    Use the survey link below to submit a photo of the prepared dish on a lunch tray with all meal components and some additional information about your lunch recipe. The following nutritional requirements must be met for your submission:

    A. General Requirements – Recipe cannot be fully heat-and-serve

    • Entrée has been served on the school’s lunch menu.
    • Full recipe is entered in PrimeroEdge with crediting and nutrient information. 
    • Limit of one (1) lunch entrée recipe submission per school.

    B. Meal Pattern & Nutrition Requirements

    • Recipe credits for at least 1 oz eq Meat/Meat Alternate (MMA).
    • Sodium content is less than or equal to 600 mg per serving.
    • Added sugars are less than 10 percent of total calories per serving.
    • If the recipe credits toward Grains component, it meets Whole Grain-Rich (WGR) criteria.

    C. Recipe must meet at least two (2) of the following:

    • Includes fresh or frozen vegetables and/or fruits.
    • Includes red/orange or dark green vegetables.
    • Includes whole or dry beans, peas, or lentils (legumes).
    • Uses raw meat, poultry, or fish cooked on site and/or minimally-processed frozen meat, poultry, or fish (e.g., frozen, cooked / ready-to-cook, whole muscle, un-breaded chicken strips; or frozen, cooked USDA ground beef.)
    • Contains scratch-made or minimally processed sauce or marinade.
    • Includes plant-based proteins like tofu or tempeh.
    • Uses a scratch-made sauce, dressing, or marinade.
    • Recipe has been prepared using at least one locally procured ingredient, such as Pennsylvania-grown produce, Pennsylvania-sourced dairy, or Pennsylvania-sourced proteins (eggs, meat, poultry).
    • Features culturally inspired flavors.
    Submit your Recipe

    * Schools will be responsible for transportation and costs associated with travel to/from the food styling studio located in Lancaster, PA.