We know that when kids eat fresh and healthy food, they do better in school. That’s why California was the first state to guarantee free meals for all public school kids.
But how do we get the good and good-for-you school meals our kids need to thrive?
Across California, School Food Professionals are sourcing fresher ingredients, incorporating more scratch cooking, and developing recipes for healthier meals that use flavors kids love.
It takes a unique set of skills to plan and cook healthy meals for hundreds or thousands of kids every day – especially meals that kids actually want to eat.
See what it takes to be a School Food Professional:
School Food Professionals get significant training in evolving federal nutrition standards, food safety requirements, and culinary techniques for making delicious student meals at high volume.
School Food Professionals manage complex inventories and increasingly source ingredients from local farms to ensure student meals are made with the freshest ingredients.
School Food Professionals are developing good and good-for-you recipes that go beyond minimum nutritional requirements to incorporate more scratch cooking and flavors kids love.
California’s School Food Professionals are putting better grades on the menu.
It’s simple – when students eat healthy, they pay better attention in class.
But don’t just take our word for it: decades of research link healthy school meals to higher test scores.
Now that’s food for thought.
For kids to succeed in the classroom, they need support in both body and mind.
High quality meals make kids feel valued, boosting their self-esteem and outlook.
And studies consistently show that eating more fruits and veggies makes people happier.
Better food = better mood.
School Food Professionals introduce kids to healthier meal choices.
And they make them easy, cutting whole foods into snackable sizes.
Research shows that early exposure to healthy foods can shape a child’s lifelong habits.
Teaching healthy choices – one tray at a time.
See how School Food Professionals are setting kids up for success:
As the providers of millions of meals every day, School Food Professionals are uniquely positioned to impact food systems at scale.
Together, we can set the table for fresher, healthier school meals that empower kids in the classroom and beyond.