Albuquerque Public Schools sent 65 Food and Nutrition Services team members to the annual New Mexico School Nutrition Association conference, the district’s first return to the event in more than six years, Albuquerque Public Schools said in a news release. Team members took part in professional development, networking and leadership opportunities.
The conference gathers school nutrition professionals to share ideas, learn best practices and explore new approaches to serving students. APS Executive Director of Food and Nutrition Services Marie Johnson said it provided essential training and resources from state agencies and industry partners, along with chances to collaborate with colleagues from other districts.
Advertisement
The training came as APS prepared a major shift in school meal preparation. The district planned for staff to prepare more than half of its menu items from scratch starting Aug. 7, and Johnson said there would be lots of training over the summer so the team would be ready in August, APS said in an earlier release. “All of our menus will be 51% scratch or more,” she said. Johnson said the district wants to keep expanding scratch-made, minimally processed and culturally relevant menu options in the 2026-2027 school year.
Johnson is a two-term past NMSNA president who championed the state’s Healthy Universal School Meals law, which expanded access to nutritious meals for students. APS Area Manager Geri Garcia was also elected NMSNA secretary and will serve for the next two school years.
Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story was revised to cite the Albuquerque Public Schools news release it is based on. Learn how Brant.One reports in our editorial standards.
