Choice Partners, Harris County Department of Education’s national purchasing cooperative, will host its annual School Nutrition and Product Expo from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, October 18, at the Humble Civic Center. This year, the expo will be superhero-themed to honor school district food service staff.

More than 100 students from area school districts, like Conroe, Galena Park, and Humble ISDs, will taste-test products to provide feedback for school district nutrition directors. School district nutrition experts who purchase food or cafeteria-related products for their districts through HCDE’s Choice Partners co-op will evaluate food and beverage products being considered for their school cafeterias using student feedback. More than 240 nutrition services leaders from nearly 70 school districts, private and charter schools, higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies will attend.

The Choice Partners co-op will also consider the feedback from students and child nutrition staff to plan for the procurement of future food and cafeteria-related contracts. The cooperative provides legal, competitively awarded contracts for groceries, dairy products, bread, produce, and other food products. Choice Partners contracts provide purchasing solutions for school cafeteria food and food services.

The event will feature more than 130 food and equipment vendors, including Labatt Food Service, Hiland Dairy, Schwan’s Co., Tyson Foods, General Mills, and PepsiCo Foodservice.

Through Choice Partners cooperative contracts, food purchased annually by Harris County school districts supplies millions of student school lunches.

HCDE Superintendent James Colbert Jr., Choice Partners Senior Director Jeff Drury, Assistant Director Trisha Prestigiacomo, over 100 food and equipment vendors, and Harris County students

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

9 a.m.-1 p.m.

*Students will arrive at 10:30 a.m.

Humble Civic Center

8233 Will Clayton Pkwy, Humble, TX 77338