09/28/2026
It’s time to rethink the center of the school lunch tray.
A new analysis of more than 10,000 school lunch entrees found 88% of entrees featured animal proteins. Nearly 4 in 10 contained red or processed meats linked to cancer, while plant-based entrees were rare.
These findings matter for kids’ health. Diets high in red and processed meat are associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Health concerns also go beyond the nutrition label, including ingredients of concern and potential exposure to contaminants like veterinary drug, dioxin, and pesticide residues associated with industrial animal agriculture.
But school nutrition professionals aren’t to blame. Federal policies — including inadequate funding, outdated procurement systems, and decades of underinvestment in school kitchens — have made processed meat and cheese easy to rely on.
The good news? We can do better. Reducing processed meat, diversifying proteins, increasing fiber, investing in scratch cooking, and sourcing higher-quality animal and plant proteins can all help create healthier school meals.
With new federal school meal standards on the horizon, now is the time to raise the bar. Join us and tell USDA we want healthier school food today: https://action.foe.org/page/102538/action/1
