Eat REAL Blog

On a beautiful sunny day surrounded by rolling hills and endless green pasture filled with over 100 types of native grasses, Eat REAL hosted a group of leaders who all share a common goal: making schools the largest purchasers of regenerative organic food.

Food waste is one of the biggest problems impacting climate change today. Not only do the agricultural inputs that are required to produce food like water, energy, and fertilizers go to waste when food is discarded, but wasted food emits greenhouse gases in landfills. In developed countries like the US, it mainly comes at the

The American public school system is made up of over 97,000 schools serving more than 50 million children, making it the  largest restaurant chain in the country. The combined buying power, distribution, and influence on the next generation has great potential to shift the food system to support our planet instead of damaging it. Our

This Earth Month, help us raise $100K to help school districts take climate action at scale and engage + inspire children.

Our team paid a visit to leaders at Vacaville Unified School District, North Monterey County Unified School District, Morgan Hill Unified School District, and Walnut Creek School District, touring cafeterias, and sitting down with directors, staff and students to learn about their programs’ challenges, wins, and what they hope to achieve in the future.

Up to 50% of a child’s daily calorie intake comes from meals consumed at school. For the majority, their first meal doesn’t come until lunch. School breakfast has seen a rise in participation since the pandemic, and in states that have passed Universal Meals permanently, we will continue to see participation increase. Children who start

Raley’s Visits Eat REAL Cohort School in Vacaville Unified School District

Last month we wanted to show a little love for our #SchoolFoodHeros and sent out care packages with the help of our friends at Patagonia. Help us take a moment to say THANK YOU to our district food service leaders! Share this post Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on pinterest Share

Eat REAL saw a 600% impact growth 2019-2021! Our program reaches over 200k students in 350 schools, increasing access to delicious, sustainable, and healthier real food.

In recent years, city-wide soda taxes have been a hotly debated battleground. Public health advocates are frequently in support with the hope of minimizing sugar consumption, while the beverage industry has fought hard to prevent the damage to their bottom line. Others have also argued that the taxes are ineffective and unfair.  However, a recent

Supply chain disruptions are causing food shortages across the United States, and schools are struggling to source the ingredients they need to serve nutritious meals.

In her new book, How the Other Half Eats, sociologist Priya Fielding-Singh delves into food inequality in the United States. The book is the culmination of years of in-depth ethnographic research. The author interviewed 160 families across the demographic spectrum and closely embedded herself with four of those families. It includes discussions of how people’s

Eat REAL’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Robert Lustig contributed to a cover page  Newsweek story. In an attempt to garner more awareness and incite urgency around the state of American health, the cover story highlights the devastating repercussions of our ultra-processed food-dominated diet. The time to prioritize real food in America was yesterday. Advancements in

Eat REAL’s 3rd cohort represents over 76,413 students in California. Partially funded by a grant awarded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture as well as the generous support of our Eat REAL community, these districts have begun their Eat REAL Certification Journies. Capistrano Unified School District Capistrano Unified School District (@capofood) serves over

Today is Giving Tuesday, the largest global day of generosity! As we kick off this season of giving, we would like to share our thanks for the support of our Eat REAL community. Because of your gifts, we welcomed another cohort of school districts and continued to expand our program to reach over 200,000 students. 

An expert panel discussion on the connection between food, gut health and brain health.

Join thousands of others in the YMCA and Eat REAL challenge to find out just how powerful real food can be!

To create memories that far outlast a sugar-high

Eat REAL hosted First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom on a school lunch visit with students at Vacaville Unified with Mount Diablo Unified School District and North County Monterey Unified School District.

The school bell rings, students are heading to class. They should be bright, fresh, and ready to learn, but instead, many are having trouble staying focused and awake. Money’s been tight at home, and the fridge was empty this morning. For the third time this week, the day begins with an empty stomach. Child Hunger

Our children are eating more ultra-processed foods than most people realize, and the poor design of our food system is to blame.

We learn many life skills in school over the 12 years spent there that prepare us for adult life. Outside of the standard subjects like Math, Science, History, English, we learn soft skills like social skills, problem-solving, communication, and critical thinking. However, our education rarely covers nutrition and fueling our bodies – even though students

Global food production is intrinsically linked to climate change – both under threat from it and as a leading contributor.

Expanding Universal School Meals for All is a massive win for public health and social justice. California is now the first state to provide free meals to all public school students. The final state budget approved by Governor Newsom and passed by the state legislature this week will cover the costs of offering breakfast and

Climate change is accelerating, and nearly ¼ of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from food production. But, not all food production is created equal. Real food that’s grown locally using climate-friendly practices can not only limit the negative impacts of food production but can help regenerate the environment. Eat REAL Certification is a change

We are proud to announce we have been awarded a competitive $15k grant from climate-friendly food champions, Eat the Change Impact. This grant will support our work in helping schools create more climate-friendly menus. Eat the Change Impact is the foundation of climate-friendly food company Eat the Change. The foundation awards grants to support organizations

Miguel Villarreal, Eat REAL Board Member and school food visionary, celebrated his retirement after 40 years as a public school Foodservice Director by dedicating a bikeraiser to Eat REAL this weekend. He rode up Mt. Diablo on Sunday, August 1st, with 10 pounds of sugar strapped to his bike – the amount of sugar Eat

Children need access to nutritious meals so they can learn, thrive, and grow. Unfortunately, this isn’t the reality for millions of families across the country.  The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated hunger and food insecurity while shining a spotlight on the inequalities in our food system – however, it also exemplified the power school meal programs have

The 2020-2021 school year was unprecedented. We are beyond impressed and inspired by the ability of schools across the nation to adapt and find creative solutions to problems never faced before. From day 1 of shelter-in-place orders and shutdowns, schools jumped into action serving millions of meals 100% free of cost to any child 18

Today, California made history with a huge step towards increasing child nutrition access and ending child hunger. Governor Gavin Newsom signed in the new state budget today including funding for permanent free school meals for all K-12 students.  “Today… California! Tomorrow… the nation. Huge congratulations to the massive community of passionate advocates and leaders who

This week, Eat REAL is celebrating the California Department of Education’s Farm to Summer Celebration Week! Farm to Summer is all about sourcing local foods and teaching kids about agriculture and nutrition. Thank you to all the Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option operators who facilitate this week of learning and healthful farm-fresh

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated hunger and food insecurity across the country and shined a spotlight on the inequalities in our food system – it also expanded awareness around the power of our existing child feeding programs. With the help of USDA waivers, schools expanded their services to provide free meals to all students. Many

Summertime hunger is consistently a problem for the 22 million children who rely on free and reduced-price school meals for most of their nutrition and caloric intake. As schools come to a close this year, the likelihood that hunger will increase is even greater due to the growing food insecurity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the school year comes to an end, we’ve been reflecting on what has been one of the most unprecedented school years. We have never ceased to be impressed and inspired by the ability of our schools to adapt and find creative solutions to problems never faced before. This year also brought new insight into

“Better Together” is a deep-rooted value for our organization. We know that the more support and voices we can gather, the faster we can accomplish our mission, and the sooner we can raise awareness that real food can help solve our human and planet health crises.  In 2020, we expanded our community and the movement

For Mother’s Day, Eat REAL would like to thank all the moms, mother figures, and caregivers for all you do – this year more than ever. Moms have risen above and beyond, taking on childcare, becoming homeschool teachers, carrying the weight of increased domestic responsibilities, and keeping their families fed during a global health pandemic.

School meals have the power to change the trajectory of our children’s health for the better. The JAMA Network published a study analyzing the diets of adults and children over the course of 15 years (2003-2018) to determine the greatest increase in diet quality both among age groups and food sources. The sources analyzed included

Real food is key to building a healthy and vibrant future for our children and their environment. Eat REAL defines real food as whole foods, prepared healthfully and sourced sustainably. We help schools transform their foodservice programs so they optimize nutrition and minimize environmental impact. Real Food For Our HealthWhen we eat real food, we

Eat REAL has been awarded a Farm to School Incubator Grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Office of Farm to Fork. Eat REAL is proud to be part of a select group of organizations and school districts to receive this highly competitive grant. The grant will allow Eat REAL to replicate and

April is Earth Month, and this Thursday, April 22nd, is Earth Day! The theme of Earth Day 2021 is Restore Our Earth™ and will consist of three days of climate action. We love celebrating Earth Day because it underscores the work we do all year to create a more sustainable world and restore our environment. 

Real, whole foods grown with environmentally conscious practices are vital for people’s health and our planet. Eat REAL’s work and the real food movement are centered around creating equitable access to real food and supporting regenerative food production for our planet. Good health starts with real food. The real food movement is growing, and we’re

Every year, the World Health Organization celebrates World Health Day on April 7th. A year into the global COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s celebration is focused on ‘building a fairer, healthier world for everyone.’ The pandemic has led to a rise in poverty and food insecurity exacerbating health inequalities worldwide and in the United States.  Good

***UPDATE 4/7/2021

The School Meals for All Bill 364 has passed with unanimous bipartisan support in the CA senate education committee! This is a big step towards creating a more healthful and equitable food system for all California children.

We talk about “redesigning a more equitable food system” a lot. It’s at the heart of Eat REAL’s mission and how we will accomplish our goal of increasing our kids’ health and creating a healthier planet. Our food system isn’t necessarily  “broken,” it works as it was built to. Unfortunately, it was built on a

Two new reports suggest that having regular and stable access to healthful food has a massive impact on a student’s performance in school and on tests. The findings underscore the link between food access and children’s ability to succeed long-term into adulthood and access opportunities to advance their economic standings. The first, a study from

This week is National School Breakfast Week! We are celebrating the schools and programs dedicated to helping students begin their day nourished and ready to learn. National School Breakfast Week is celebrated in March of each year and brings recognition to a program so important to our children’s health. The National School Breakfast program has

A recap of the fascinating Donor Lightning Session, Hacking The Aging Clock: Longevity Starts in Childhood, that featured a presentation by Eat REAL’s Chief Pediatrician, Dr. Alan Greene, in conversation with Stephanie Erazo, CEO and Health Entrepreneur + Eat REAL Philanthropic Leadership Board Member.

The night before our Donor Lightning Session, we gathered with an incredible mix of people on Clubhouse to discuss Hacking the Aging Clock: how Longevity Starts in Childhood. Here is just a peek at what we covered, along with some of the incredible knowledge shared by the group. I hope to “see” you on the

Hacking the aging clock: Longevity starts in childhood.
The latest on nutrition & aging, top questions on Covid-19, and Eat REAL’s trajectory

When it comes to the U.S. food system, healthful options have become a luxury that millions of Americans don’t have access to or cannot afford. This food insecurity disproportionately affects BIPOC communities due to long-standing structural racism, discriminatory policies, income disparities, and limited economic opportunities. The levels in which our food system needs to be

Eat REAL donates 3,200 meals to Bay Area families in the Canal Community before Holiday Break

During a health crisis, all kids deserve healthier meals at school yet the recent USDA proposal puts our kids’ health at risk

Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving, and this year, falls on Tuesday, December 1st. It’s a moment amid the holiday season that showcases the power of people coming together to do good by supporting the causes they are passionate about, either financially or by sharing their message to amplify the mission. By supporting

2020 has been a challenging year for all – As we head toward the holiday season and end of the year, Eat REAL is taking time to reflect on all that we are grateful for, the amazing work we have accomplished, and our exciting plans for 2021. Our work wouldn’t be possible without the passionate

As our country comes together in a time of healing, Eat REAL helps communities by working with schools to increase real food access for children. Our certification program teaches the importance of healthful food and aides schools in transforming their meal programs so that all children can access real, healthful foods.   The healing power of

Meals made from scratch with nutritious, real food ingredients are better for our health and the health of our planet. Processed foods are energy-intensive to produce and often contain chemical additives that can harm human health and the environment. They are commonly packaged in plastic that ends up in landfills where it pollutes the planet

Reducing added sugar in your diet is an effective way to improve your metabolic health and reduce your risk of developing processed food-related diseases.

Hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity continue to rise in the United States as the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences rage on. School breakfast and lunch programs are critical for feeding children during the crisis as they serve more than 141 million meals each week. For millions of children, school meals account for up to

We’re celebrating National Farm to School Month to encourage systemic changes to our food system so that all children have access to real, nutritious foods critical to their overall health and wellness.

Eat REAL is pleased to announce that Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) has completed their two and a half year journey to becoming Eat REAL Certified. Located in Contra Costa County, CA, the District is made up of 52 schools serving over 31,000 students. MDUSD worked hard to overcome numerous challenges through a rigorous

Today begins National School Lunch Week, celebrating our school heroes and the essential programs they manage. Amidst a global pandemic and economic uncertainty, school meal programs are now more important than ever.  The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves nearly 30 million children every school day. With unemployment continuing to rise, these meals have become

JOINED BY REAL FOOD ADVOCATE CHEF DOMINIQUE CRENN NONPROFIT EAT REAL ISSUES ALERT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITION IN THE BATTLE AGAINST COVID-19

Our broken food system has led to an obesity epidemic and left millions of Americans with chronic food insecurity. Poor diet and diet-related illnesses are not the results of bad individual choices – inequitable access to healthy food is to blame. Millions of Americans cannot afford fresh produce and high-quality proteins due to economic oppressors

The food we eat is one area of our lives where small choices can make a massive impact.

School food service professionals have been essential in feeding America’s at-risk youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of children rely on school programs for the majority of their nutritional and caloric intake. Our school food heroes facilitated summer meal programs throughout the pandemic and are now working to deliver these vital meals in remote and

“Be a force for good for the people you wish to serve.”
–Nikkia Reveillac, Head of Research at Twitter

School meal services are more critical than ever as food insecurity grows due to the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. With many kids going back-to-school in a remote learning environment, fewer at-risk students are receiving school meals. 96% of the school foodservice providers Eat REAL surveyed believe that food insecurity is increasing, while 81%

The United States Department of Agriculture has extended waivers to provide free meals to all students 18 and under through December 2020. The welcomed action is in response to growing food insecurity due to the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. 100% of the foodservice providers we surveyed agree that universal school breakfast and lunch

Basic nutrition is a human right that all children in America deserve. The recent New York Times Magazine article, “America at Hunger’s Edge,” highlights the broken system – exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic – that leaves millions of Americans with chronic food insecurity. Access to healthful food has become a privilege that one in eight

The COVID-19 CRISIS GOES BACK-TO-SCHOOL:
Universal School Lunch, Increasing Food Insecurity, Budget Impacts of COVID-19
Among Top Concerns for School Food Service Providers

Eat REAL Board Members Tesha McCord Poe and Dr. Alan Greene’s Op-ed feature in Fast Company.

Originally Posted on The Farmlink ProjectBy Olivia Groell August 25, 2020 On August 5th, The Farmlink Project and Eat REAL worked together to launch The Farmlink Project’s new initiative of “students helping students.” This is how Nora LaTorre, CEO of the public health nonprofit organization Eat REAL, described the concept of college students facilitating the

The USDA announced the extension of free school meals for all children through Dec 31, 2020

https://youtu.be/k7UXuGPuC_g Optimizing your immune system is the metabolic version of “work smarter, not harder”.  As Dr. Greene talks about in his video above, by feeding and treating your body right you allow your immune system to really focus on keeping you healthy and protecting your body against harmful viruses and other pathogens. He offers 4

It’s hard to believe we are nearing the end of another month. The world is full of uncertainty and difficulty, but our team is focusing and working harder than ever on Eat REAL’s model to nourish and heal our communities and planets.  COVID-19 Support Program  To date, we’ve connected a network of 2,067 schools/ 85

For millions of children across the country, school meals contribute up to 50% of their daily caloric intake. The impact these meals have on their development and day to day health is even more significant than previously thought. In 2013, the Obama-Era Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act went into effect. This legislation increased the nutritional

The launch of our Summer Virtual Volunteer Intern Program was an incredible success, furthering our community engagement and shaping our youth outreach program.  Six interns joined us to create educational social media campaigns for their peers, inspired by the Eat REAL standards. Their projects highlighted the importance of eating real whether through incorporating more plant-based

Five Northern California School District Food Service directors and teams met with our team to discuss current challenges, collaborate on solutions, and work together to ensure their students would continue to have access to nutritious meals throughout the upcoming school year.

Kicking off the final week of our intern program, guest speaker, Dr. Riva Robinson led our intern cohort through an inspiring conversation of self-value by outlining her five truths she wished she’d known as a young adult. We appreciate how she takes a holistic approach to health integrating healthy eating, active lifestyle, mindful moments, connections,

NONPROFITS EAT REAL AND FARMLINK PARTNER WITH MT. DIABLO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT & USDA TO DISTRIBUTE OVER 19,040 POUNDS OF FRESH PRODUCE TO FAMILIES IN NEED.

Eat REAL’s Dr. Alan Greene walks through masks safety and tips to ensure you are wearing and using your mask properly. We also have an exciting update on our mask distribution program!

Black lives matter. We stand for equality and justice. Racism and ignorance are never okay. We will listen, learn, stand up, and do the work necessary together to create lasting change.

Grant provides an opportunity for Eat REAL to increase safe food access for low-income communities during the COVID-19 crisis

Moms and mother figures around the country are achieving what can seem impossible during this pandemic. We at Eat REAL, are making sure they know they have other options. You can help by donating today.

You’ve helped us deliver thousands of masks per week to frontline workers and volunteers in a network of >1,500 schools – thank you!

We are all about inspiring families to boost their immune systems through healthy eating. Now, more than ever is the time to get in the kitchen, try new things, and celebrate the joy of cooking. To help bring that inspiration and fun, we’re excited to announce that over ten incredible chefs, artists, athletes, and companies

We believe in the power of design thinking. We’ve seen firsthand how powerful it is for COVID-19 relief efforts. Learn how we leveraged design thinking to launch the #RainbowTacoChallenge in partnership with IDEO here: https://www.ideo.com/post/help-promote-food-access-for-families-in-need Share this post Share on facebook Share on google Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on pinterest Share on

Eat REAL’s K-12 certification program will support 185 more schools this and next school year as they continue to raise the bar towards more nutritious, delicious and sustainable meals for students