School Nutrition Gets a Boost From USDA Kitchen Equipment Grants

Case studies show how federal investments help schools serve healthier meals

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Projects: Kids’ Safe and Healthful Food Project
School Nutrition Gets a Boost From USDA Kitchen Equipment Grants

The National School Lunch Program is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and many of the kitchens in participating schools are nearly as old. U.S. Department of Agriculture kitchen equipment grants have helped schools update their facilities and infrastructure, allowing them to serve healthier foods and improve meal programs for students.

The Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project—a joint initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—studied 19 schools to explore the effects of this federal funding on students and meal programs around the country. The issue brief captures the overarching findings of this research, and the individual school case studies, which will be released in batches over the course of this year, examine the extraordinary changes that a single piece of new equipment can have on meal programs and student nutrition.

issue brief
Issue Brief June 7, 2016

USDA’s School Kitchen Grants Benefit Meal Programs and Students

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Issue Brief June 7, 2016

USDA’s School Kitchen Grants Benefit Meal Programs and Students

The National School Lunch Program is turning 70 in 2016, and kitchens in many of the more than 95,000 schools that participate in the program are nearly as old. Aging infrastructure and equipment, much of it designed to heat or handle pre-packaged rather than fresh foods, pose significant barriers to school districts’ efforts to adapt to the preferences and dietary needs of today’s students.

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Case Studies

Spotlight on Mental Health
issue brief
Issue Brief June 7, 2016

USDA’s School Kitchen Grants Benefit Meal Programs and Students

The right equipment makes a difference in efficient...

Learn More
Quick View
Issue Brief June 7, 2016

USDA’s School Kitchen Grants Benefit Meal Programs and Students

The National School Lunch Program is turning 70 in 2016, and kitchens in many of the more than 95,000 schools that participate in the program are nearly as old. Aging infrastructure and equipment, much of it designed to heat or handle pre-packaged rather than fresh foods, pose significant barriers to school districts’ efforts to adapt to the preferences and dietary needs of today’s students.

Learn More
Report March 26, 2014

States Need Updated School Kitchen Equipment

Eighty-six percent of schools in the United States are serving healthy lunches, but many could do so more effectively and at less cost if they had updated equipment and infrastructure.

Learn more
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Report March 26, 2014

Eighty-six percent of schools in the United States are serving healthy lunches, but many could do so more effectively and at less cost if they had updated equipment and infrastructure.

Learn more
Data Visualization December 18, 2013

What Does a School Kitchen Need?

Case studies show how federal investments help schools serve healthier meals

Learn more.
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Data Visualization December 18, 2013

Schools across the country are serving healthy meals, but many could do so more effectively with updated equipment and infrastructure.

Learn more.

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