Celebrating National School Lunch Week: Crafting a Great School Lunch
October 14, 2024
Healthy school lunches don’t just provide fuel for the day. They give our kids what they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. Research shows that eating balanced, nutritious school meals improves children’s health, mental and emotional well-being, and ability to perform in class.
Since 1962, National School Lunch Week has uplifted the many benefits that healthy school lunches have for our young people. Those benefits are especially strong here in California, which is home to the nation’s largest school lunch program, serving nearly 550 million lunches in the 2022-23 school year alone. This week, we’re celebrating the impact that school lunches—and the School Food Professionals who make them—make on the health and futures of children throughout the state.
So what goes into making a great school lunch?
Nutrition
All school meals must adhere to federal standards to ensure that they meet kids’ nutritional requirements. Putting that into practice takes the help of school districts’ school nutrition directors, nutritionists and other School Food Professionals who oversee the development of school menus to ensure students get the vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients they need.
Creativity
Creating healthy meals that kids love takes inspiration, iteration, playfulness and the ability to listen. When creating recipes, School Food Professionals start by asking the experts on what kids like to eat — the kids themselves. By understanding the foods that their students like (and what they may not be as excited about), School Food Professionals can create recipes that meet kids’ nutritional needs and still burst with the flavors they love.
Fresh Ingredients
Tasty, healthy meals begin with good ingredients. That means avoiding highly processed foods and using the freshest possible vegetables, fruits, proteins and other ingredients. Many schools and districts source directly from local producers through farm to school programs, ensuring their students get the highest-quality meals while strengthening their communities and local economies.
Culinary Skill
Across California, School Food Professionals are stepping up their scratch-cooked game, making more meals using fresh, whole ingredients. They use their deep experience — from school kitchens, culinary schools, restaurants, catering, and other food service work – to make thousands of delicious, good-and-good-for-you meals every day.
Teamwork
Every school meal is a team effort. From district offices and production kitchens to school kitchens and cafeterias, School Food Professionals work together to provide the best possible meals for our kids. While they work many different jobs and possess a wide range of skills and backgrounds, they all have the same purpose — creating fantastic meals that help kids to do and be their best.