Menu Management Solutions

Menu Management Solutions Resources

Mosaic Back-of-the-House Login Page 

Mosaic Back-of-the-House User Guide

Nutrient Analysis Protocols:  How to Analyze Menus for USDA's School Meal Programs

Heartland Menu Calendar Templates for SY 2024-2025

The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) Child Nutrition Recipe Box 

USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

USDA Foods in Schools Product Information Sheets

USDA Product Formulation Statement Templates 

USDA FoodData Central

Alliance for a Healthier Generation (AHG) Smart Snacks Calculator 

DairyMax Nutrition NOW Coffee Bar Tool Kit

The menu drives everything!  Menu Management Solutions provides for the effectiveness as well as the efficiency of the school nutrition operation.  Support is offered for cycle menu planning, recipe development, software maintenance, special dietary needs and catered or vended meal services.

Cycle Menu Planning and Software Maintenance. A standardized cycle menu with related recipes and ingredient/shopping lists is available to members.  The data set is licensed to the member for as long as the member remains with Arch Ford.  The cycle menu may be used without software in-house, but members are encouraged to utilize Heartland School Solutions’ Mosaic to maximize this resource.  Only cloud-based software programs are supported for Arch Ford's cycle menu planning services; desktop versions are supported at the member-level only. 

Recipe Development. Good standardized recipes are important to an effective and efficient school nutrition program.  They encourage meal participation and cost-control.  Arch Ford is prepared to support members with a variety of student-tested standardized recipes or can support an individual organization in standardization and testing of their own unique recipes. 

Special Dietary Needs.  Menu planning takes on a new dimension when students have special dietary needs.  Arch Ford is equipped with a registered and licensed dietitian prepared to support ANY special dietary need a member may have.  Arch Ford offers particular care in the support of students with diabetes or food allergy.  

Catered or Vended Meal Services. Finding additional revenue through catered or vended meal services can be a daunting task!  Arch Ford can support the development of a competitive catering menu to meet any budget and facilitate partnerships with local education agencies (LEAs) or organizations, who are also federal feeding program sponsors, allowing those organizations who need vended meal services to contract directly with a partner LEA utilizing an interagency agreement for services.  This ensures that organizations receiving the service do not require additional procurement for meal services and that the provider is prepared to meet all meal pattern requirements and compliance needs.  With regard to vended meal services, this service is billed at a negotiated rate with the partner LEA providing the vended meals.