10 Things You Can Do to Change School Meals

Do you want to take the next step to improve your district's meal program?
Here are ten ideas.

You can find resources to help you in the "Related Content" on the right. Some items noted below may be downloaded from the Rethinking School Lunch Guide web page.

• Develop new recipes using ingredients from your region.
  Resources: Cooking with California Food in K–12 Schools; School Meals Featuring California Foods

• Review, update, and strengthen your district's wellness policy.
  Resource: "Model Wellness Policy Guide" in our Rethinking School Lunch Guide 

• Create a school garden for hands-on learning.
  Resource: Creating Gardens of Goodness

• Make your lunchroom a place students want to be.
  Resource: Interview with Alice Waters, founder of The Edible Schoolyard, in our Rethinking School Lunch Guide

• Revise your procurement system.
  Resource: A California Thursdays Success Story in Oakland Unified School District 

• Create a planning team to anticipate future facilities needs.
  Resource: Interview with Steve Marsall, president of the food service consulting and design firm The Marshall Associates, Inc., in our Rethinking School Lunch Guide 

• Analyze your food service finances; are you achieving maximum efficiency?
  Resource: Interview with J.P. Dozier of Bon Appétit Management Company and Marc Zammit of the Compass Group in our Rethinking School Lunch Guide 

• Conduct a student-led audit of food service waste.
  Resource: Waste Management chapter, pp. 44–47 in Rethinking School Lunch Guide

• Offer professional development to encourage experimentation with new dishes.
  Resource: Cooking with California Food in K–12 Schools

• Ask students how they would inspire their peers to eat school lunch.
  Resource: Andy Goodman interview in our Rethinking School Lunch Guide