5 Ways We Can Feed Kids Like We Give a Damn
April 10, 2026 | By
What would it look like if we designed a school food system that puts kids’ wellbeing above all else?
1. Treat school food as critical public health infrastructure.
When kids get up to half their daily calories at school, the kitchen is just as important to their development as the classroom.
School food is an opportunity to foster positive eating habits for life. Plus, if we expect students to focus in class, the meals they are served in schools should not cause sugar highs and crashes.
When U.S. children’s diets are made up of 62% ultraprocessed foods — which are linked to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, and other chronic health conditions — transitioning from ultraprocessed “heat and serve” meals to fresh, scratch-cooked meals is a vital public health intervention.
1. Treat school food as critical public health infrastructure.
When kids get up to half their daily calories at school, the kitchen is just as important to their development as the classroom.
School food is an opportunity to foster positive eating habits for life. Plus, if we expect students to focus in class, the meals they are served in schools should not cause sugar highs and crashes.
When U.S. children’s diets are made up of 62% ultraprocessed foods — which are linked to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, and other chronic health conditions — transitioning from ultraprocessed “heat and serve” meals to fresh, scratch-cooked meals is a vital public health intervention.
2. Make funding school food a national priority.
The problem isn’t a lack of money. It’s a lack of priority.
Our government has the resources to pay cafeteria workers a living wage, to equip schools with functional kitchens, and reimburse school meals at a high enough rate that lets schools source fresh ingredients from local farms.
But we are making political choices to spend those dollars elsewhere. Increasing government funding for school meal programs is an investment in the health of kids today and the adults they become.
2. Make funding school food a national priority.
The problem isn’t a lack of money. It’s a lack of priority.
Our government has the resources to pay cafeteria workers a living wage, to equip schools with functional kitchens, and reimburse school meals at a high enough rate that lets schools source fresh ingredients from local farms.
But we are making political choices to spend those dollars elsewhere. Increasing government funding for school meal programs is an investment in the health of kids today and the adults they become.
3. Create school menus that foster connection.
Serving kids frozen pizza and ultraprocessed chicken nuggets every day misses a massive opportunity for connection.
A meal is more than just fuel. It connects us to where we are and who we’re with. When we serve hand-made and culturally resonant food in schools, we’re doing more than just feeding bodies — we’re weaving an intricate web of flavor, cultural, geographic, and social connections among students.
3. Create school menus that foster connection.
Serving kids frozen pizza and ultraprocessed chicken nuggets every day misses a massive opportunity for connection.
A meal is more than just fuel. It connects us to where we are and who we’re with. When we serve hand-made and culturally resonant food in schools, we’re doing more than just feeding bodies — we’re weaving an intricate web of flavor, cultural, geographic, and social connections among students.
4. Drive widespread food systems change.
U.S. schools serve 7.5 billion meals annually. That’s more than the combined number of McDonald’s burgers, Subway sandwiches and Taco Bell tacos sold every year.
School cafeterias are a $23.5 billion industry and one of the nation’s largest food providers. The sheer scale of the school food sector creates a powerful opportunity to drive meaningful food systems change — from tackling climate change, slashing food waste, supporting small and sustainable farms, strengthening local communities, and more.
Protecting our planet and communities = protecting our kids.
4. Drive widespread food systems change.
U.S. schools serve 7.5 billion meals annually. That’s more than the combined number of McDonald’s burgers, Subway sandwiches and Taco Bell tacos sold every year.
School cafeterias are a $23.5 billion industry and one of the nation’s largest food providers. The sheer scale of the school food sector creates a powerful opportunity to drive meaningful food systems change — from tackling climate change, slashing food waste, supporting small and sustainable farms, strengthening local communities, and more.
Protecting our planet and communities = protecting our kids.
5. Make school meals free — no exceptions.
School meals should be universally free for all kids. Full stop.
We don’t make some families pay for their bus rides and textbooks, while others need to fill out household income forms to get these resources fully or partially subsidized.
If we recognize school food as the critical infrastructure it is, we would not be financially segregating kids in cafeterias, or putting more time into maintaining this complex and stigmatizing system of segregation than feeding kids good food.
5. Make school meals free — no exceptions.
School meals should be universally free for all kids. Full stop.
We don’t make some families pay for their bus rides and textbooks, while others need to fill out household income forms to get these resources fully or partially subsidized.
If we recognize school food as the critical infrastructure it is, we would not be financially segregating kids in cafeterias, or putting more time into maintaining this complex and stigmatizing system of segregation than feeding kids good food.
