Bedford School Breakfast Prices To Increase By 60 Percent

BEDFORD, NH — Citing fresher ingredients and higher costs, the Bedford School Board has voted to increase the price of breakfast in the School District by 60 percent. Starting with the next school year, the price of school breakfast for students will increase by 75 cents per meal, from $1.25 to $2. School breakfast for adults will increase from $2 to $2.75.

The School Board approved the price increase during Monday's meeting. According to a memo by School Nutrition Director Emily Murphy, the Food Service Department of the Bedford School District has been implementing healthier, more nutritious meals for its breakfast programs, using organic food when possible. These efforts have resulted in higher labor costs in preparing the meals, as the majority of the menu items are made from scratch. The higher-quality ingredients are also more costly. In her memo, Murphy stated that despite a higher number of students and staff buying school breakfast in the past year, the revenues from the breakfast program are currently not meeting the expenses.

According to Superintendent Michael Fournier, the school meals program in Bedford is intended to be self-sustainable. The 75-cent increase in breakfast prices aims to cover the costs of producing more nutritious meals.

During Monday's meeting, School Board member Bill Foote said he was struggling with the 75-cent spike in the breakfast price, but he supported the increase Monday because that is what it would take to cover the costs of the program.

"We should be able to stand on our own two legs," he said.

School Board Vice Chairwoman Cindy Chagnon said the School District uses as many fresh ingredients as possible, unlike in the past when many school lunch and breakfast offerings featured deep fried food and other unhealthy options.

She said the Bedford School District remains competitive in its school breakfast prices compared to other districts in the state.

Murphy's memo, dated April 15, states that the average school breakfast price statewide is $1.60 per meal. The previous breakfast price in Bedford, at $1.25, was the lowest in the state, according to her memo. And when it comes to other New Hampshire school districts that have implemented similar upgrades focused on better nutrition, their breakfast prices average around $2.25 per meal, according to her memo.