Ultra-Processed Foods in School Meals
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrially produced products containing ingredients not typically used in home cooking. UPFs are associated with poorer diet quality and increased risk of obesity and chronic diseases. In the U.S., school-aged children consume more UPFs than any other age group, with 62% of daily calories coming from UPFs. As most California schools regularly serve convenience and quick-preparation foods, reducing UPFs in school meals is a key strategy to improve child health.
California Assembly Bill 1264, the Real Food, Healthy Kids Act, signed into law in 2025, defines UPFs and requires schools to phase out a subset identified as “UPFs of concern” beginning in 2029 and fully by 2035. Increasing “scratch cooking,” or preparing meals with less processed and fresher ingredients, may help reduce reliance on UPFs in school meals and could be more cost-effective over time.
To support the implementation of the Real Food, Healthy Kids Act, it is important to understand Food Service Directors’ perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to increasing scratch cooking or preparing meals with less-processed, more fresh ingredients to reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods in school meals.
Goals
The goals of this study are to:
Understand School Food Service Directors’ knowledge and perceptions of ultra-processed foods
Examine barriers and facilitators to increasing scratch cooking as a strategy to reduce ultra-processed foods in school meals
Understand parents’ and students’ perceptions and knowledge of school meals
Co-develop policy and practice recommendations to reduce UPFs in school meals
evaluation Methods
Conducted interviews with Food Service Directors from school districts in the San Joaquin Valley.
Conducted focus groups with parents and middle school students from San Joaquin Valley school districts.
Interviews and focus groups were transcribed and analyzed using a hybrid thematic approach.
A Community Advisory Board provided feedback on study design, implementation, and policy and practice recommendations to reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods in school meals.
Study status
Completed
Main Study Findings
Perceived barriers and facilitators to reducing ultra-processed foods and increasing scratch cooking in school meals among Food Service Directors
Paper
Policy Brief
School Food Service Directors’ Knowledge and Beliefs about Ultra-processed Foods
Paper
Policy Brief
Policy Implications
Given the current momentum at the federal, state, and local levels to reduce UPFs in school meals, this study provides timely insights to guide policies and practices that support the transition from UPFs to scratch-cooked school meals.
FunderS
National Institutes of Health, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute, and William and Nancy Thompson Family Foundation
