Healthy School Food: Recipe for the Future
How healthy school food links to career opportunities, planetary and student health, academic success, and equity.
October 11, 2021 | By
Fostering Academic Success
It’s no secret that healthy, whole foods have a positive impact on children’s overall academic performance. In schools, eating nutritious meals cooked from scratch has been shown to improve student attendance and participation, as well as raise test scores and grades. Research also shows that well-nourished children are less frequently tardy or absent, have fewer behavioral problems, have increased school engagement, and participate in class at a higher rate than under-nourished children.
Fostering Academic Success
It’s no secret that healthy, whole foods have a positive impact on children’s overall academic performance. In schools, eating nutritious meals cooked from scratch has been shown to improve student attendance and participation, as well as raise test scores and grades. Research also shows that well-nourished children are less frequently tardy or absent, have fewer behavioral problems, have increased school engagement, and participate in class at a higher rate than under-nourished children.
Creating Career Opportunities
Healthier school meals offer a viable career opportunity for culinary students outside of the typical restaurant industry. K-12 food service employment often includes salary opportunities, state-provided benefits, and long-term security. To demonstrate and support the overall professional development of school food service workers, the Chef Ann Foundation is launching a pilot program with California community colleges to provide work-based learning opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in K-12 school districts prioritizing scratch cooking.
Creating Career Opportunities
Healthier school meals offer a viable career opportunity for culinary students outside of the typical restaurant industry. K-12 food service employment often includes salary opportunities, state-provided benefits, and long-term security. To demonstrate and support the overall professional development of school food service workers, the Chef Ann Foundation is launching a pilot program with California community colleges to provide work-based learning opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in K-12 school districts prioritizing scratch cooking.
Feeding Equity
Urban youth of color have disproportionately higher rates of skipping breakfast, most often because of limited economic resources and neighborhood food insecurity. Subsequently, deficits in food and nutrition access are linked to learning gaps, lower grades, and increased rates of repeating a grade: “overcoming systemic inequities in school meal accessibility is a vitally important step towards ensuring all students can obtain the food and nutrition they need to thrive.” In the U.S, racial inequity is a constant predictor of food insecurity; Hispanic and Black households are twice as likely to experience food insecurity than White households, and one in four American Indian/Alaska Native families have been consistently food insecure at double the rates of their white counterparts.
Feeding Equity
Urban youth of color have disproportionately higher rates of skipping breakfast, most often because of limited economic resources and neighborhood food insecurity. Subsequently, deficits in food and nutrition access are linked to learning gaps, lower grades, and increased rates of repeating a grade: “overcoming systemic inequities in school meal accessibility is a vitally important step towards ensuring all students can obtain the food and nutrition they need to thrive.” In the U.S, racial inequity is a constant predictor of food insecurity; Hispanic and Black households are twice as likely to experience food insecurity than White households, and one in four American Indian/Alaska Native families have been consistently food insecure at double the rates of their white counterparts.
