Smart Swaps

What Is Smart Swaps?

Smart Swaps is a collection of school-friendly recipes featuring milk, cheese and yogurt. Each recipe offers a nutritious, delicious way to incorporate dairy into school meals while supporting school nutrition standards and introducing students to appealing new menu options.

Explore Smart Swaps Recipes and Resources

Smart Swaps Taste Test Promotion

Invite students to sample delicious, dairy-inspired recipes and help shape future school menu decisions.

Through the Smart Swaps Taste Test Promotion, participating sites will select and feature three Smart Swaps recipes—including the new lunch recipes introduced at ANC. Schools are encouraged to involve students from different grade levels whenever possible to gather a broad range of feedback.

Conduct your taste tests anytime between program launch and March 2027.

Find more information by downloading these resources:

Participation Incentives

Participating sites may receive:

Up to $200 to support food and supply costs for taste-test activities, or the option to apply those funds toward an additional smallwares certificate.
A $500 smallwares credit after completed taste-test results are submitted.

Six Steps for Success

1. Choose Your Recipes

Select three Smart Swaps recipes to feature with students. Consider offering different types of recipes or involving multiple grade levels to gather diverse feedback.

2. Schedule Your Taste Tests

Choose when and where students will sample each recipe. Taste tests can be incorporated into regular meal service, special events or promotional celebrations throughout the school year.

3. Request Your Smart Swaps Resources

Request your Smart Swaps toolkit using our School Nutrition Materials Request form. Indicate how many toolkits are needed based on how many schools are participating, and check our other available school nutrition resources as well!

3. Prepare and Serve Samples

Prepare each recipe according to the provided directions and offer samples to participating students.

4. Gather Student Feedback

Use the provided student evaluation tools to record how students voted and capture their comments and suggestions.

5. Submit Your Results

Complete one Taste Test Results Form for each recipe tested. Submit all three forms by March 2027 to share your students’ feedback and qualify for the participation incentive.

Request Smart Swaps Taste Testing Toolkit Submit Taste Test Results

Make It Part of Your School-Year Promotions

The Smart Swaps Taste Test Promotion is a great fit for:

National School Lunch Week, October 12–16, 2026
Farm to School Month
Student wellness events
National School Breakfast Week, March 1–5, 2027
Dairy Month celebrations
Any school nutrition promotion throughout the year

Thank you for helping students discover new dairy favorites while supporting menu innovation in your schools!