YOLO, BRB, IDK and BTY - does this look familiar? We live in a world of acronyms. I don’t know about you but I come from an older generation where we say what we meant. This is why I am writing this blog. I have become one of those people. I realize that in school food service, we use a lot of acronyms ourselves. As I was training to become a food service manager, I remember hearing many people saying things like CRRS, DOD, SNP and SNA. I would smile, nod my head, and quickly look it up as soon as I left. I found myself asking, “What does that mean?”, “Do they speak another language that they forgot to include me in??”
So I am here to offer some help to all of you who may be either just starting out, or are just like me and just want to know what our food service world is talking about.
Let’s dig into this Alphabet Soup:
SNP- School Nutrition Program- This is the program we are involved in every day.
CRRS- Claims Reimbursement and Report System- This is where we go to file claims for all of the reimbursable meals that you lovely people serve every day.
DOD- Department of Defense- I know what you’re thinking - “What does the DOD have to do with school meals?!” Well, they actually give us funding for our fresh fruits and vegetables to serve our students!
OMG- Oh my Goodness- Just checking to see if you were all still with me.
ODE- Ohio Department of Education- This is where all of our rules and regulations come from to help better feed our students.
SNA-School Nutrition Association- This is a national organization of school nutrition professionals committed to advancing the quality of school meals.
FIFO- First in First Out-This is very important rule when using products. First ones into storage, cooler or freezer should be the first ones taken out to use.
Well these are just a few to start with, let us know what you think and if you have any acronyms that we can set straight for you!