Signing up:
How do we sign up?
Parents at participating schools register directly from the Food For Thought Home page (
www.F4tc.com
) by selecting
New Account)
then
Create an Account.
The process has several quick and easy steps that include: establishing a unique
login, providing family information. All information is confidential and secure through Nova and Authorize.Net.
Can I Sign up more than 1 child?
Food For Thought can accommodate all children in a family as long as those children attend participating schools.
Children do not need to attend the same school.
What if my school does not participate yet?
Food For Thought is very interested in providing lunches to children at any Bay Area based school. Please contact us at
michael@f4tc.com
if parents at your school might be interested in participating.
Top
Menus:
What is on your lunch menu?
Unlike most school-based lunch programs that offer one or two fixed lunch menu items each day, Food For Thought offers a
broad range of daily lunch options. There are at least 4 hot lunch choices and 7 to 8 cold choices daily. Our menus are
updated monthly balancing old standbys such as homemade chicken fingers, homemade mac and cheese and burritos with unique
kid-friendly lunch items such as fajita wraps, Caesar salads and vegetarian entrees and breakfast type items as well.
How do you determine what’s on your menu?
Food For Thought will update its menu monthly. We determine our monthly menu using a host of resources which include:
Food For Thought innovations, nutritional counseling, feedback from participating Food For Thought parents, parent input
through market surveys and taste testing parties. Food For Thought is very open to new food ideas and welcomes your comments.
How much food will my child get?
Food For Thought works closely with Amy Donis, our resident nutritionist, to plan menu and portion sizes that are appropriate
for each age group. Consult the “Our Green Room” section for more information. As a convenience to parents, our web site
provides the nutrient breakdown for every menu item offered in your child’s lunch. Each lunch includes one entrée and one
side with drink options.
How do you accommodate kids’ specific food preferences?
Food For Thought offers parents the unique opportunity to personalize their lunch order based on their child’s specific
tastes or dietary needs. Food For Thought menus offers a wide variety of lunch options to choose from every day. Our web
based ordering system is designed with maximum flexibility to refine each lunch order to satisfy your child’s preferences.
Do you serve vegetarian lunches?
Each Food For Thought menu features a vegetarian option.
Will drinks be included in the lunches?
Healthy drinks are included as part of each Food For Thought menu. Drinks include 1% white or chocolate milk, 100% juice,
and 16.5 oz bottled water.
Top
Nutrition:
What does ‘healthy’ really mean?
Food For Thought seeks to provide the healthiest lunches meals possible at an affordable price. This starts with our
ingredients that include: fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms, hormone-free and Rbst free milk, skinless boneless
chicken breast in all chicken meals, hormone-free grass and grain fed beef and all natural deli products. We strive to use
many organic ingredients and we offer foods that are nitrate and trans-fatty acid free.
How do you handle food allergies?
Food For Thought prepares meals in a facility that does not use nuts, peanuts or tree nuts of any kind. We also have a food
allergens section which shows allergens that can be present in our meal options (See Our Green Room). Please contact us if
your child has a serious food allergy as it is your responsibility to contact us directly to discuss any potential risks in
our menu offering. We honor all school policies regarding food allergies.
Who provided the nutritional analysis for each menu item?
Food For Thought nutritional information comes from a variety of sources, including the FDA, the USDA, the National Research
Council, Nutridata software and the food manufacturers themselves. In some cases, we have estimated nutritional values and
recommended daily allowances (RDA) for each age group when published information was unavailable,. Food For Thought RDA’s are
averages and do not specifically consider factors such as sex, weight and the innate individuality of every child. As a result,
they should be used as general guidelines only.
Top
Ordering:
How do we order?
Food For Thought offer an easy to use web-based lunch ordering system. All lunches are ordered via the Food For Thought website.
Initially, each family will be allowed only one login username and password. Food For Thought plans to provide the ability to allow
multiple logins for each family in cases where multiple caretakers are ordering.
When do we order?
Food For Thought offers a web-based lunch ordering system. Food For Thought publishes its monthly menus one month in advance.
All lunches must be ordered by midnight PST the night before the meal is being served. For example, a lunch desired for the
3rd of October must be ordered by midnight on the 2nd of October.
What if the ordering deadline has passed and I want to change an existing order or add a new order?
You can change menu items on existing orders online prior to the ordering deadline. If an ordering deadline has passed, we will try
and accommodate changes to existing lunches subject to availability. This must be done by contacting Food For Thought via email at
michael@f4tc.com before 6am. You must receive confirmation via email from Food For Thought that your request for a changed menu item
has been processed. There is no charge for this service. In order to provide the best possible service to its customers Food For Thought
needs to abide by its ordering deadline. If an ordering deadline has passed, Food For Thought may, on a case-by-case basis, accommodate
new lunch orders. You must contact Food For Thought directly via email at michael@f4tc.com to place a late order and receive email
confirmation that your order has been accepted by Food For Thought. The price for this Late Service will include a $1.50 additional
charge to the standard lunch price, but may be waived at Food For Thought discretion. This amount will be automatically deducted from
your Food For Thought account.
Am I required to order lunch 5 days a week to participate?
No, parents have the flexibility to order as many lunches as they want.
What if I have special requests for a lunch order?
Food For Thought recognizes that there are many combinations of personalized choices to offer during the ordering process. As a result,
we have made the meals so that almost everything is on the side, such as gravies, sauces, mayo, mustard etc. so the kids can make their
own options.
What are “Oops Lunch” notes?
Parents that receive an Oops Lunch note are being notified that their child has received an emergency Oops Lunch and they need to have
a check made out to Food For Thought the next day for $6.00
Top
Cost:
How much does it cost?
Food For Thought prices are listed on the menu and include a side and a drink choice.
How do we pay for it?
There is one payment method: Credit Card (Checks and paper menus only by approval from Food For Thought staff and are accepted on a case by case basis)
Food For Thought accepts both Visa and MasterCard.
Credit card transactions are secured through Nova (Costco’s business services processer),
one of the world’s largest digital certificate providers, and processed through Authorize.Net, one of the largest credit card processing gateways.
Am I charged if my child is sick or I need to cancel a lunch after the order deadline?
We understand families will order lunches that may need to be cancelled. Unfortunately, after the order deadline, our supplies are
ordered and your child’s meal selection has been accounted for. Therefore, Food For Thought policy is no cancellations or refunds after the order deadline.
However, please contact us directly to learn where you school stores unclaimed lunches.
Top
Food Preparation:
Who are your suppliers?
Food For Thought proudly supports local dairies, farmers and distributors based in Northern California.
Where do you prepare Food For Thought lunches?
Food For Thought prepares its lunches at its own CCCEH certified commercial kitchen located in Concord.
We have been in business since 1995 and have made well over 2,000,000 meals.
What food safety precautions are taken?
All lunches are packed fresh each morning reducing the risk of perishability. In addition, lunches will
include an ice-pack to ensure proper food storage if cold and if hot, they are held in a warmer at 160 degrees
to insure a warm but not too hot meal
Top
Packaging and Delivery
Is your packaging environmentally safe?
Food For Thought has taken great strides to package lunches in environmentally safe materials. Almost all of
the packaging is biodegradable and can be placed in school compost bins. Food For Thought will provide package handling
instructions once you register for the Food For Thought service.
How does my child get their lunch?
Food For Thought delivers lunches directly to your school between 10:00am and noon each morning. We work with each
participating school to ensure that the lunches are delivered to a safe and efficient location from which your child
can have their lunch distributed safely to them.
Top
Schedule:
Are there days Food For Thought service will not be available?
No, Food For Thought takes the same holidays as your school to insure no interruption in service. Since we service
Top
|