The Chef Ann Foundation promotes whole-ingredient, scratch cooking in schools. This approach enables schools to serve the healthiest, tastiest meals so that kids are well-fed and ready to learn.
We’re dedicated to empowering schools nationwide with the tools, training, resources, and funding they need to serve meals. Browse through programs to learn more about our work and apply for a grant.
Since 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation has worked with schools to implement healthy school meal programs. Dive into the organization’s history and learn about our impact on school food reform over the years.
Whether you are a school district administrator, food service director, food service team member, concerned parent, student or committed community advocate, there are many ways to get involved in changing the way we feed our kids.
Want to learn how you can create school food change? Our toolkit lays out how to approach your district and advocate for healthier food in your child’s school.
Learn more about school food with resources, home recipes, and press materials.
The Chef Ann Foundation promotes whole-ingredient, scratch cooking in schools. This approach enables schools to serve the healthiest, tastiest meals so that kids are well-fed and ready to learn.
We’re dedicated to empowering schools nationwide with the tools, training, resources, and funding they need to serve meals. Browse through programs to learn more about our work and apply for a grant.
Since 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation has worked with schools to implement healthy school meal programs. Dive into the organization’s history and learn about our impact on school food reform over the years.
Whether you are a school district administrator, food service director, food service team member, concerned parent, student or committed community advocate, there are many ways to get involved in changing the way we feed our kids.
Want to learn how you can create school food change? Our toolkit lays out how to approach your district and advocate for healthier food in your child’s school.
Learn more about school food with resources, home recipes, and press materials.
Our new policy roadmap outlines the Chef Ann Foundation’s issue priorities for increasing scratch cooking in schools; expanding access to healthy school meals; and unlocking the academic, environmental, economic, and social benefits scratch cooking offers children and communities.
Today, nearly 70% of a typical child’s diet is made up of ultra-processed foods, which are associated with more than 30 health conditions. Many of these foods come from K–12 schools, which serve more than 30 million children breakfast and lunch every school day through the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program.
To protect and improve children’s health — and to access cascading academic, environmental, and economic benefits — schools must serve students more minimally processed meals cooked from scratch. While most schools want to serve their students more scratch-made meals, their ability to do so is significantly limited by systemic labor, financial, and infrastructure barriers, as well as public perceptions that devalue the critical role school food professionals play in supporting the well-being of our nation’s children.
Our new publication, The Scratch Cooking in Schools Solution: A Policy Roadmap for Boosting Children’s Health, Learning Outcomes, Environmental Sustainability, and Local Economies, outlines the Chef Ann Foundation’ policy priorities for increasing scratch cooking in schools; expanding access to healthy school meals; and unlocking the academic, environmental, economic, and social benefits scratch cooking offers children and communities.
Our policy issue priorities are organized according to the five key areas of school food operations: food, facilities, finances, human resources, and marketing. Policies should support school food programs in all of these five key areas to achieve lasting solutions toward improving the quality of school food. You can learn more about all of the policy priorities outlined below in our roadmap.
We are advocating for developing a formal definition for ultra-processed foods, and passing the Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act.
We are advocating for better regulating additives in school foods, and passing the federal Safe School Meals Act.
We are advocating for increasing farm-to-school and local food for schools funding; establishing a permanent USDA local procurement program; prioritizing purchasing U.S.-sourced protein and produce; removing requirements for awarding contracts to the lowest bidder; and passing the Farm to School Act, Local School Foods Expansion Act, and Local Procurement Act.
We are advocating for creating a USDA grant program that helps schools implement food waste measurement, prevention, education, and reduction projects; and passing the School Food Recovery Act.
We are advocating for creating a grant program that helps schools serve more plant-forward meals; and passing the federal Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act.
We are advocating for accurately tracking and publicly disclosing comprehensive food supply chain data for USDA Foods and the USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (USDA DoD Fresh).
We are advocating for offering more kitchen infrastructure and equipment grants to schools; and passing the School Food Modernization Act.
We are advocating for passing state and federal universal free school meals legislation (Healthy School Meals for All).
We are advocating for increasing the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) multiplier from 1.6 to 2.5.
We are advocating for increasing school breakfast reimbursement by 28 cents; increase school lunch reimbursement by 45 cents; and reviewing and, if needed, adjusting meal reimbursement rates annually.
We are advocating for expanding the federally registered Healthy School Food Pathway apprenticeship program to all states; and investing in school food workforce training.
We are advocating for increasing wages and benefits for school food professionals through a portion of proposed increases for federal meal reimbursement rates; providing affordable health coverage for school food professionals; offering stipends to school food professionals for completing comprehensive training programs and remaining in the school food workforce; and passing the federal SCHOOL Professionals Act.
We are advocating for designating meal time as curriculum time for learning positive eating habits for a healthy life; and recognizing that school food professionals can be an integral part of the education system.
We are advocating for executing campaigns that seek to positively shift perceptions about the school food workforce and demonstrate the inherent value of these roles in shaping the health of our children and nation.
Learn more about all of the issue priorities outlined above in our policy roadmap. If you have questions about the Chef Ann Foundation’s policy and advocacy work, contact policy@chefannfoundation.org.
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