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.

The Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project assessed the school kitchen equipment and infrastructure challenges in each state and the District of Columbia. The survey found that many schools are relying on workarounds that are expensive, inefficient, and unsustainable. Nationwide, 88 percent of school districts need at least one piece of kitchen equipment, and 55 percent need kitchen infrastructure changes, such as electrical upgrades. Click on a state below* to see its specific needs and the recommendations to help meet them.

Many districts across the country have had success financing kitchen improvements. Learn more here about their approaches, including partnerships, sponsorship funding, and low-interest loans. Investing in kitchens and cafeterias will help schools better serve the nutritious foods and beverages that students need. The following state reports are available in PDF format.

  Alabama   Kentucky   North Dakota
  Alaska   Louisiana   Ohio
  Arizona   Maine   Oklahoma
  Arkansas   Maryland   Oregon
  California   Massachusetts   Pennsylvania
  Colorado   Michigan   Rhode Island
  Connecticut   Minnesota   South Carolina
  Delaware   Mississippi    South Dakota
  District of Columbia   Missouri   Tennessee
  Florida   Montana   Texas 
  Georgia   Nebraska   Utah
  Hawaii   Nevada   Vermont
  Idaho   New Hampshire   Virginia
  Illinois    New Jersey   Washington
  Indiana   New Mexico   West Virginia
  Iowa   New York   Wisconsin
  Kansas   North Carolina   Wyoming
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