Scratch cooking protects children’s health.

When foods are highly processed, they lose most of their nutritional value and need to be infused with synthetically manufactured nutrients to adhere to USDA’s dietary requirements for K-12 schools. 

Cooking from scratch with minimally processed ingredients lets kids consume essential nutrients in their natural, more bioavailable form as part of a complex whole food; eat more fiber and protein; and consume fewer preservatives, fillers, food dyes, sodium, and added sugars. 

Also, by exposing kids to fresh, scratch-made meals, schools can cultivate positive eating habits for life — improving long-term public health outcomes and decreasing health care costs associated with diet-related conditions and disease.

Scratch cooking improves student behavior and academic outcomes. 

Serving students scratch-made meals correlates with fewer tardies, absences, behavioral problems, and disciplinary suspensions. Research also shows that a healthy, balanced diet provides children the essential vitamins, minerals, fats, and proteins they need for optimal cognitive function. Scratch-made meals offer better-quality diets, which are linked to improved grades and test scores, increased work capacity, and longer attention spans.
 

Scratch cooking bolsters local economies.

School food in the U.S. is a $23.5 billion industry. Because of its sheer scale, the school food sector has an outsized impact on shaping the nation’s food system. When schools are equipped to serve scratch-made meals, they can source more whole products from local and regional farms and other food businesses. 

For every dollar spent on farm-to-school programs, an extra $0.60 – $2.16 is generated in regional economic activity. For farmers, fishers, and ranchers, selling to schools can provide a steady income stream, diversify their markets, and offer reliable sales and fair pay.

Scratch cooking supports environmental sustainability. 

Schools can drastically reduce food and packaging waste by sourcing more whole ingredients instead of pre-packaged products. They can also procure more organic and sustainably grown or raised ingredients from farms that utilize best practices for protecting soil, air, and water quality. 

Schools can also incorporate more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains into meals, which are less environmentally intensive to produce and provide important health benefits. Further, when schools cook meals from scratch, they can source ingredients from local and regional farms, reducing transportation emissions.

Scratch cooking supports more student-inspired menus. 

Instead of limiting menu options to pre-packaged offerings, scratch cooking allows schools to cater menus to their student population. This can include using more traditional ingredients and recipes that reflect students’ collective heritages, which can further enhance social learning and contribute to fostering a welcoming and integrated student community.

Scratch cooking creates better jobs.

School food services offer a viable career opportunity for culinary students outside of the restaurant industry. A career in school foods allows individuals to support transformative change within the school food system while also providing opportunities for personal career growth. 

School food careers rooted in scratch cooking provide a pathway for better pay, better benefits, and more opportunity for career advancement.