School nutrition pro shortage affects meals in Alaska

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Faculty food services operations at some schools in Alaska are becoming influenced by troubles in selecting more than enough college nutrition gurus. Eight schools in the condition are serving shelf-secure foods, in its place of incredibly hot foods, when doing the job to recruit additional personnel.

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Supply connection As the nation reels from the unprecedented stress the ongoing pandemic places on its citizens, one of its primary targets is the public education system. A major collateral effect of this is school nutrition professionals both not having access to their jobs and school eating programs facing disruptions. Nowhere is this more apparent than Alaska, where a dearth of school nutrition professionals has already caused meal programs to be suspended.

Since the start of the pandemic, many school nutrition professionals have either been forced to take a hiatus due to the risk of catching the virus, or have been assigned to other tasks deemed more pressing. This enforced absence of these professionals has caused the levels of service to plunge, and with it, the availability of reliable and nutritious meals to innumerable students in the state.

School nutrition professionals have been in short supply in the state prior to the pandemic; however, the change in circumstances has increased their relative importance exponentially. It is estimated that nearly 50 schools are severely affected due to the lack of adequately trained personnel and many other schools are struggling to cope with meager staff.

The consequences of the pandemic-induced nutritional gap has been felt across the state, from Anchorage to rural areas. This lack of school meals affects children from nearly all backgrounds, and has caused a significant increase in the levels of food insecurity and anxiety among students. This is especially true for those who rely on school meals as the primary source of their daily nutrition.

Fortunately, some relief is in sight. Organizations such as the Alaska Kids Count and the Alaska Department of Education are working to arrange alternative means of meal delivery and to provide meals to school-aged children who would normally rely on schools for meals. The government is also intervening by offering subsidies to local businesses to step in and provide meals to schools under their own timeframes and as per their convenience.

The distance, financial and time commitments required to serve as a school nutrition professional during a pandemic is understandably too much for many to bear. However, with a little creative thought, a collective effort and, hopefully, some further government intervention, the levels of meal insecurity brought on by the pro shortage in Alaska can eventually be allayed and the students of the state will once again be able to rely on nutritiously balanced meals from school.