Welcome to School-Meal Experience 2030
Step into a vision of what a student-centered school-meal experience could look like in 2030—one that is convenient, nutritious, and responsive to the needs and preferences of all students.
What you're about to explore isn't just a vision of the future—it's based on the innovative practices of real school meals programs operating today. Drawing inspiration from trailblazing districts across the country, we've crafted this interactive school to showcase how current ideas and initiatives can shape better school- meal experiences for all students.
Explore this interactive school diagram and the accompanying report to uncover how school meals are evolving to meet the needs and preferences of students and families now and into the future.
Click on a space to explore, like the classroom. Once there, click on the white dots to reveal more detail.
Find something that excites you and let us know! Or share examples from your school district at innovation@strength.org or @NoKidHungry.
Explore by Theme
Convenience and Flexibility
Distributed satellite models serving food where kids congregate, in the classroom, and outside. Availability outside traditional breakfast and lunch times.- Breakfast after the bell. In Pasadena, Texas, introducing this convenient approach to breakfast service has led to a marked increase in students eating in the morning.
- Kiosks, carts, and vending machines for grab-and-go. To make reimbursable meals more accessible, Austin Independent School District has invested in satellite service – kiosks of varying complexity and vending machines that serve them at different locations across campus.
- Food trucks and outdoor carts. Gooding School District purchased a food truck specifically for the high school to serve food outside that is distinct from what is offered in the cafeteria. BBQ stations, golf carts, and converted equipment shacks have all been used successfully.
Evolving the Cafeteria Experience
Creating an inviting space and experience for students and staff.- Booths, standing bars, charging stations, and auditorium seating. In Cincinnati, the cafeterias contain a variety of seating options, like round tables for eight students and standing bars with charging stations, allowing students to have different experiences based on what they need.
- Visible, comprehensive menus showing allergens, special dietary requirements, and other information. Capistrano Unified School District uses Mealviewer, which doubles as a menu planning program and menu display.
- Spotlight on cooking. In Azusa Unified School District, rotisserie chickens are prominently displayed and scarved on Fridays. Other locations are experimenting with items that are freshly made or adapting an open kitchen format, where some prep work is conducted in view of the kids.
- Gardens and hydroponics. New York City, Suffolk County,Virginia, and Washington, D.C. are among the school districts that are utilizing hydroponics to educate, engage, and add a touch of freshness to meals.
- Easy, contactless checkout. Point of sale systems that allow for seamless reimbursable (through the National School Lunch Program) and a-la-carte charges. Contactless payment is used in adjacent industries but isn't widespread in schools yet.
Choice and Customization
Offering multiple food stations - from self-serve burrito bars to Asian food pop-ups – that cater to diverse preferences and allow students more choice.- Stations, salad bars, and flavors. In Cincinnati, students have salad bars and open-air merchandisers where they can serve themselves and customize their meals.
- Pop-ups and testing stations for new food or features. In Austin, students regularly taste test new food ideas to determine what appears on future menus.
Delicious Variety of Foods
More food options that are healthy, culturally responsive, scratch-cooked, heavy on fresh fruit and vegetables, and light on ultra-processed and high-sugar offerings. Each of the districts featured in this report are pushing the boundaries of taste, flavor and experience, while adhering to stringent nutrition and safety guidelines created by the USDA. They are changing the outdated stereotype of school food in the process.- Chef-inspired menus and training. Head chefs and guests from restaurants have revamped menus and trained kitchen staff across the country. In Pasadena, the chef uses the teaching kitchen to conduct taste tests and hosts cooking classes for families of students.
- Supported kitchen teams. In Greenville, the district invested in culinary training for kitchen staff to enable more scratch cooking.
Engaging Students
Encouraging regular feedback from students and participation in planning.- In Mapleton Public Schools, students were involved in renovation and cafeteria redesign.
- In Gooding School District, students apply to be a part of the Student Nutrition Advisory Committee, which samples new products and suggests changes to the menu.
Behind the Scenes
Essential underpinnings for improving student experience.- Food and nutrition education to support demand for revamped school meals menus. The Charlie Cart is one example of an all-in-one food education solution.
- Sufficient time in the school schedule for students to eat. Pasadena has tested different ways to structure lunchtime and Austin advocates for decentralized lunch service because of the time required to traverse the campus.
- Equipment and infrastructure to make scratch cooking and local procurement a reality. In Greenville, investing in a production kitchen with school board support enabled more scratch cooking and increased participation.
- Easier connection to local foods. In Greenville and Capistrano, local food procurement requires sustained, dedicated time and resources from the school nutrition team to engage farms directly.
- No-Cost School Meals and related funding mechanisms like the Community Eligibility Provision in most of these districts supply the funding necessary to launch innovative delivery systems and improve student experience.