School Food

Cafeteria workers at Lockerman Middle School work in an assembly line to pack bags filled with three days of meals. (Photo credit: Colin Marshall)

Hunger Doesn’t Take a Summer Break. Neither Do School Food Professionals.

July 29, 2024

On the ground with districts and nonprofits who are embracing recent policy changes to feed children in their communities.

New School Meal Standards Could Put More Local Food on Students’ Lunch Trays

April 30, 2024

A student at Ashford Elementary School in Houston fills up on local food in his school lunch. (USDA Photo by Lance Cheung)

How Do School Meals in the US Stack Up Against Other Countries?

By Katie Rodriguez

October 3, 2023

Without Federal School-Meal Support, Lunch Shaming May Be Back on the Menu

September 25, 2023

California Leads the Way in Low-Carbon School Meals

September 19, 2023

Photo Essay: How DC Central Kitchen Tackles Hunger, From Food Trucks to Training Programs

August 30, 2023

For Many Kids, a Boost to Summer School Meals Is a ‘Game Changer’

By Anne Marshall-Chalmers

July 5, 2023

Tyden Brownlee, 5, picks up a free school lunch at Olympic Hills Elementary School in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)

What Cuts to the Food Safety Net Mean for People’s Lives

By Christina Cooke, Julia Knoerr, Anna Guth and Lindsay Talley

June 26, 2023

A woman holds a bag of pears as she waits in line to receive free food at the Richmond Emergency Food Bank. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

States Are Fighting to Bring Back Free School Meals

By Anne Marshall-Chalmers

May 31, 2023

School Food Chefs Learn to Plot Healthier Menus With a New Fellowship

By Anne Marshall-Chalmers

March 6, 2023

A trio of school chefs working in the kitchen as part of the Healthy School Food Pathways program. (Photos courtesy of the Chef Ann Foundation)

Indigenous Foodways Are the Focus in a Growing Number of Classrooms

By Renata Birkenbuel

February 15, 2023

Indigenous and non-native Great Falls students and staff gather around hides of six bison, including a freshly killed bison, as Indian Education Director Dugan Coburn (in blanket coat) demonstrates skinning the bison and honoring its life with thanks with a sage-burning and pipe prayer. The sage smudge burns away any bad energy. Sweetgrass burning welcomes the good. (Photo credit: Great Falls Public Schools)

The Field Report: FDA Data Shows a Worrisome Increase in Antibiotic Use in Animal Agriculture

December 13, 2022

a pig eating antibiotic-filled feed in a hog barn

How the Midterm Elections Will Impact Food and Agriculture

November 3, 2022

Sunrise over the US Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Next Chance to Improve School Meal Access Is Coming Up Soon

October 6, 2022

A high school student looks skeptically at a cafeteria school meal. (Photo credit: USDA)

For Healthier School Meals, California Bets On More Cooks in the Kitchen

By Anne Marshall-Chalmers

September 28, 2022

School meal Chef trainees take part in the Healthy School Food Pathway program. (Photo credit: Santa Clara Unified School District)

How the Politics of School Food Shape What Kids Eat

By Matthew Wheeland

September 26, 2022

Marcus Weaver-Hightower and the cover of his new book, Unpacking School Lunch

Hydroponics Help Urban Schools Grow Food Year-Round

September 13, 2022

Harvesting greens at Teens for Food Justice. (Photo credit: Jessica DiMento)

Farm to School Efforts Just Got a Big Influx of Cash. Will It Help More Schools Get On Board?

By Anne Marshall-Chalmers

August 15, 2022

Some of the lunch offerings through Winters' farm to school cafeterial program.

The Field Report: Are Expiring School Meal Waivers a Looming Catastrophe?

June 15, 2022

LOUISVILLE, KY - JANUARY 11: Pam Howard, a school food service assistant, prepares lunches for curbside pickup during a period of Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) at Hazelwood Elementary School on January 11, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. Jefferson County Public Schools, along with many other school districts in the US, have switched to NTI in response to severe staffing shortages caused by the prevalence of the omicron variant of COVID-19. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Vegan Fridays for All? More Schools Offer Plant-Based Meals

March 21, 2022

Vegan Fridays for All? More Schools Offer Plant-Based Meals

Pandemic Disruptions Created an Opportunity for Organic School Meals in California

February 28, 2022

Early morning packing of organic school food boxes at WCCUSD's central kitchen. (Photo courtesy of Conscious Kitchen)

What’s Next for Healthier School Meals? We Asked the USDA.

February 10, 2022

A "Vegan Friday" school meal at at PS 130 in Manhattan on Friday, February 4, 2022. (Photo by Michael Appleton, NYC Mayoral Photography Office)

The Field Report: Will the Next Farm Bill Move the Needle on Climate Action?

February 9, 2022

USDA employees plant Cereal Rye as a cover crop in the garden beds of the urban farm outside of the Department of Agriculture Whitten Building in Washington, D.C., December 15, 2021. (USDA photo by Preston Keres)

The Field Report: Biden Targets Consolidation in the Meat Industry (Again)

January 7, 2022

Meat Prices To Rise As Corn Supply Diverted For Ethanol Production

NYC Is on the Cusp of Making Its Food Purchasing Sustainable. It Won’t Be Easy.

December 21, 2021

Students eating lunch in school cafeteria