How The Nutrition Group has grown to serve people of all ages
Beginning in 1975, The Nutrition Group is a third-generation family-owned business focused on food service management and facility management services. Jessica Anzelone, Managing Director, expands on the company’s history. “We began as a small company providing meals for summer camps, senior congregate dining programs and a few school districts. Since then, we’ve grown exponentially from serving lunch to a handful of kids and older adults to serving 278 school districts across six states and 33 Area Agency on Aging programs. Additionally, we serve Head Start programs, child and adult daycares, rehabilitation facilities, and correctional facilities, providing over 127 million meals annually.”
Jessica elaborates on the full range The Nutrition Group offers. “In the most basic terms, we provide food and management services to people of all ages. Our service extends to other platforms including summer camps, senior congregate dining programs, K-12 schools, rehabilitation facilities and correctional facilities.”
Nancy Kohl, President of the School Division helps explain how the company overcomes balancing different groups’ needs. “With food for school children for example, finding a balance between what students want and meeting nutritional guidelines is at the core of what we do. Our process begins with our purchasing team and trusted vendors working closely with our chefs and dietitians to seek products with high acceptability and nutritional value. From here our team collaborates to craft dishes that keep our customers engaged.”
“We create appealing dishes for different customers by considering taste preferences, dietary restrictions, cultural considerations, budget, and food trends,” Jessica elaborates. “Our offerings are designed to meet the needs and desires of each group while maintaining food quality, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and adherence to state and federal guidelines.
Customizable concepts
Lee Markosky, President of the Commissary Division at The Nutrition Group, elaborates: “Our understanding of the various requirements of children, the elderly, health-conscious individuals, and ethnic groups enables us to design meals that resonate with specific needs and preferences. For example, a menu for young children focuses on fun, colorful, and nutrient-rich meals, while a menu for older adults might prioritize easy-to-chew or low-sodium options. Dietary needs such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher, or low-carb are met with tasty alternatives that don’t compromise on flavor or nutrition.
“Where possible, we offer customizable meal options to appeal to a broad audience. Salad bars, sandwich stations, and build-your-own concepts mean our customers can choose ingredients they prefer, making it easier to cater to individual tastes and dietary needs. Studying food trends is another useful tool we employ to ensure variety that appeals to our various audiences. Examples include innovative foods like plant-based burgers, grain bowls, and gluten-free pizza.
“Listening to what our customers have to say provides valuable feedback to learn what’s working and what needs to change. This is achieved through a variety of methods including in-person conversations, taste testing events and surveys to name a few. By balancing these factors, we’re able to create dishes that satisfy the various audiences we serve.”
Maintaining this level of flexibility across an operation requires reliable supply partners. Jessica outlines how the business ensures quality is consistent. “We’ve built partnerships with trusted, established food vendors who collaborate with our purchasing team, chefs and dietitians to ensure that ingredient standards are met through clear communication, formal agreements, quality control processes, and regular monitoring. Our vendors are key partners in the supply chain and their ability to meet specific ingredient standards is critical for maintaining the quality of the food we offer.”
Streamlining operations 
Customer service is another area that sets the business apart from its competition, as Jessica explains. “Customer service is built into the framework of everything we do. From the food we serve to the people we manage; we ensure the levels of customer service we expect continue to be met by staying involved in all aspects of operations. The result is highly capable employees who care about the food and people they serve each day. We place a strong emphasis on training, employee appreciation, and opportunities for career advancement for our current staff. Customer service is important to The Nutrition Group because we believe it is a vital and fundamental component to building and sustaining trusted partnerships with our clients, customers, vendors and employees.”
Integrating key technologies has helped the business optimize cost efficiency without compromising quality. “While quality and taste are at the forefront,” Jessica shares, “we also know we have an obligation to our valued partners to ensure costs are in line. We commit to enhancing our internal technology infrastructure and implement operational efficiencies such as utilizing QR codes and online training resources to help streamline and reduce costs.
“The team is constantly researching innovations to incorporate into our operations,” she concludes. “Attending food shows such as the National Restaurant Show enable our team to consider new products and trends. Some recent examples include introducing sous vide-style cooking methods using a variety of branded sauces. Plant-based products, vegan and allergy free items, and locally sourced and sustainable products are other great examples of our commitment to innovation in school food service.”
www.thenutritiongroup.com