CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California’s (CFHL, UC) Healthy School Food Initiative (formerly Smarter Lunchrooms Movement) explores the ways in which CFHL, UC can support Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) changes in school and Early Care and Education (ECE) environments that promote consumption and enjoyment of healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Children spend a large part of their lives in school, where they consume as much as half their daily calories. A healthy school food environment ensures that students have access to healthy and appealing foods, messaging around nutrition that is accurate and consistent, whether it’s in the classroom or lunchroom, and ways to learn about and develop skills to make healthy food choices (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024).
CFHL, UCCE teams support healthy school food and beverage environments in a variety of ways:
- Smarter Lunchrooms and Mealtimes Movement
- Harvest of the Month
- Farm to School and ECE
- Other Healthy School Food Work, including supporting improved nutrition standards and food waste prevention, recovery, and redistribution.
Healthy School Food
Please see the resources below for information & tips on the CalFresh Healthy Living, UC Healthy School Food Initiative.
- Resources
- What’s in a School Lunch? Video
This video provides a brief, 5 minute overview of school lunch requirements.
Other Healthy School Food Strategies
CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE teams support healthy school food environments in a variety of ways. Some other strategies include Nutrition Standards and Food Waste Prevention, Recovery, and Redistribution. See below for more information and resources for these.
- Nutrition Standards in Schools
Nutrition standards refer to the guidelines for food and beverages sold, served, or distributed at a site.
All public schools in California provide a healthy breakfast and lunch to all students who want one through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. These programs have strict standards for foods and beverages that are offered as part of this program. In addition, all foods sold on school campuses during the school day are subject to USDA Smart Snacks in Schools guidelines, as well as additional requirements set forth by the state of California.
Because there are existing federal and state standards for foods sold on school campuses during the school day, CFHL, UC programs can make the most impact with foods that are not sold on campus, including: Healthy Celebrations; Non-Food Rewards; and Healthy Fundraisers.Healthy Celebrations Resources
- • Action for Healthy Kids Healthy and Active Parties
• Alliance for a Healthier Generation Celebrations
Non-Food Rewards Resources
- • Action for Healthy Kids Healthy and Active Non-Food Rewards
• CDC Tips for Teachers – Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in the Classroom
Healthy Fundraisers Resources
- • Action for Healthy Kids Healthy and Active Parties
- Food Waste, Prevention, Recovery, and Redistribution
According to the IWP Blueprint, “Food waste prevention aims to address individual behavior and organizational structures to prevent the unnecessary waste of food. Food recovery (also known as ‘food rescue’) collects surplus edible food that would otherwise go to waste and redistributes it to feed people in need of access to healthy food.”
To learn more about food waste prevention, recovery, and redistribution in schools, check out the Rethinking Farm to School resources on the Farm to School and ECE page.
Resources- • CalRecycle – School Waste Reduction Programs
• CalRecycle - Resources for Local Education Agencies: K-12 Public Schools and School Districts
Training
- • CalRecycle – School Waste Reduction Programs
CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE Highlight
At Esparto Elementary School, students have a voice in their school cafeteria thanks to the Cafeteria Ambassadors, a SNAC (Student Nutrition Advisory Council) Club.
With support and guidance from Annalise Traub, CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE Yolo County Nutrition Educator, Cafeteria Ambassadors worked with school and district leadership to implement healthy changes in the cafeteria. As a result of the SNAC Club efforts, there is now a nutrition bulletin board showcasing colorful student artwork and Harvest of the Month marketing materials to highlight salad bar items, as well as new salad bar menu labels with creative and engaging names like “Crispy Cucumber,” “Colorful Salad Mix,” and “Cool Corn”.
The Cafeteria Ambassadors led a school-wide taste test of a beet salad, introducing approximately 200 students to local beets and apples from nearby farms and showcasing the Farm to School program. The beet salad was a hit, with the majority of students saying they liked it and would try it again.
These successes also boosted student confidence, with Cafeteria Ambassadors all agreeing that they gained skills through serving their community that will help them in the future and that they are more confident in themselves. Since then, the Esparto Unified School District received a California Department of Food and Agriculture Farm to School grant. This grant will enable the district to purchase locally sourced produce for school meals and enhance farm-to-school efforts.
Please email Anna Jones to share stories, photos, or other items you would like to see featured in CalFresh Healthy Living, UC's Healthy School Food highlights.
Healthy School Food Subpages
Trainings
CFHL Statewide Training School Wellness Recorded Webinars
The following two webinars included in this collection provide helpful information about school meals and nutrition standards in schools:
- School Breakfast and Lunch Programs: The Lowdown for CFHL Agencies
- Supporting Nutrition Standards in Schools Offered and Sold
CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE [...] supports us by interacting with the students and providing nutrition education... We use the information they collect from surveys to inform our department on foods to add to our menus."
– Farm to School Coordinator, Fresno County