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School lunches in U.S. public schools are a travesty. Children are served packaged waffles with high-fructose corn syrup (often labeled as “maple syrup”) and dry cereal (often consumed with chocolate milk) for breakfast, followed by a lunch that is usually pre-packaged and nutrient-poor. There is no limit to the amount of sugar that can be served. For a child getting both breakfast and lunch at school, these meals can comprise more than half their daily calories.
Now, a provider called School of Lunch is planning the first-ever nutrient-dense, whole foods pilot project for the National School Meals Program. These meals will serve nutrient-dense foods such as regular meat, full-fat dairy, and fish, cooked in traditional fats. The meals will be relatively low in grains and virtually free of added sugars.
This pilot program, which requires a waiver from USDA, is planned for a middle school in central Florida, starting in the winter term of 2026. However, the planning begins now: chefs need to be trained this summer, as it is their only time off before the school year starts.
This program also plans to document health and behavioral outcomes for children, as well as changes in school performance. Mark Cucuzzella, MD, and Nina Teicholz, PhD, are leading this research, a controlled clinical trial, with the intention of publishing the results in a peer-reviewed journal.
We hope to inform the USDA school meals programs and encourage meaningful reforms.
It is not possible to reverse the chronic disease epidemics among America’s children without reforming the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program!
YOU CAN HELP! The program must pay chefs before funding starts in the fall.
We have already raised nearly half of our $40,000 goal. YOU CAN HELP BY DONATING HERE:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/p2h7j3-plate-it-forward
P.S. Nina Teicholz will be speaking at our conference in Salt Lake City in October: https://www.wisetraditions.org/nina-teicholz
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