Lake County Gazette

Quest Food Management Services will introduce a new hamburger to its school menus starting November 1, 2025. The change comes after feedback from students indicated that the new burger is preferred over the previous option in terms of taste, texture, and appearance.

A statement from Quest said, "Quest is excited to announce the introduction of a new hamburger on their menu beginning next month! Based on student feedback, this new product has been rated higher than the previous option in taste, texture, and appearance. Quest is always looking for ways to enhance our students’ meals and involve them in the decision-making process."

The company noted that this new hamburger contains soy, an ingredient not present in the prior version. Informational signage will be displayed throughout November in cafeterias to inform students and staff about the presence of soy.

Quest stated: "This new hamburger CONTAINS SOY, which was not present in the previous product." They added: "During November, informational signage will be displayed in the cafeteria to highlight the presence of soy in this item."

Nutrition standards for school meals remain unchanged with this update. The new burger meets all USDA Child Nutrition and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) requirements. Full nutritional and allergen information continues to be available through MySchoolQuest.

"Nutrition standards remain the same, and the new burger meets all USDA Child Nutrition and NSLP requirements," according to Quest. They also said: "Full nutritional and allergen information for all menu items is available on MySchoolQuest."

Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50 serves several schools across Lake County including Woodland Elementary School, Woodland Intermediate School, Woodland Middle School, and Woodland Primary School. Additional district information shows that it employs nearly 400 teachers who earn an average salary of $69,342 per year before pension contributions; most are women. The district reports no teachers with more than ten absences annually according to data from the Illinois State Board of Education (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

Demographically, Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50’s student body is approximately 39.6 percent White, 9 percent Black, 33.4 percent Hispanic, and 11.4 percent Asian (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In fiscal year 2020, spending per student was $23,682 with total expenditures reaching over $125 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

Quest concluded: "We appreciate your attention and support as we continue to offer meals that students enjoy while keeping nutrition and safety a top priority."