Real Food In Schools

Revamping the Cafeteria Tray

For years, school cafeterias have heavily relied on ultra-processed options, leaving fresh produce, whole grains, and protein sidelined. Through the Make America Healthy Again movement, we are improving our school nutrition systems by replacing processed, nutrient-poor calories with nutrient-dense, real food.

To support this transition, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are launching a new project called Defining Evidence for Programs to Ensure Nutrition for Development (DEPEND). This program makes funding available to schools to deliver nutritious foods to school-aged children and strengthen evidence for nutrition interventions.