![]() ![]() A 2020 study in the journal Nutrients looked at 502 school meal programs and found that students who ate meals at school had better attendance, higher academic achievement and improved health overall. It’s like, let’s do it fast, let’s do it now, let’s do it right.”Ī plethora of research shows the benefits of healthy school meals. There’s no more excuses,” said Juan Cordon, food services director at Vacaville Unified, where students now enjoy offerings such as regeneratively raised pork sandwiches, Strauss Family Creamery organic yogurt and chipotle chilaquiles. “We now have the money and the green light to go all out. The expansion of the meal program, combined with investments in school kitchens and training, have made public schools the largest restaurant system in the state, serving nearly 1 billion meals a year - more than McDonald’s, Starbucks and Subway combined. The move to healthier, fresher school meals comes on the heels of California’s first-in-the-nation program providing free breakfast, lunch and snacks to nearly 6 million students in public schools, regardless of whether they qualify under federal income guidelines. One district in San Luis Obispo County even bought a stone mill to grind its own wheat for bread and pasta. Districts are building new kitchens, hiring executive chefs, contracting directly with local organic farmers, and training their staffs to cook the finest cuisine. Thanks to a surge of nearly $15 billion in state and federal funding, school districts are ditching the old standbys - frozen pizza and chicken nuggets - in favor of organic salads, free-range grilled chicken, vegan chana masala, chilaquiles and other treats. The hottest new restaurant in California might be your local elementary school. Now, with an influx of state and federal money, school districts are revamping kitchens and training staff so they can provide freshly made, healthy meals. Last year California began providing free school lunches to all TK-12 students, regardless of family income. ![]()
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