San Luis Coastal Unified School District
December 19, 2025 by Ariana Hernandez
Located in California’s Central Coast, San Luis Coastal Unified School District (SLCUSD) has fully embraced the region’s rich agriculture, sourcing local produce and products for its cafeterias. This commitment connects students to the food grown in their community and the people that make it happen.
The team excels across key standards, specifically in offering fresh choices, sugar reduction, and local procurement.
Certification Snapshot
Timeline
Oct. 2021
Aug. 2022
Oct. 1st, 2022
Oct. 12th, 2022
*Did some standards specific updates to meet Silver tier requirements
Demographics for SY 20-21
8,032
17
33.3%
Achievements
2021 & 2025 Golden Bell Farm to School CA Award
The Golden Bell Awards reflect the depth and breadth of education programs and governance decisions supporting these programs that address students’ changing needs.
The award recognized SLCUSD’s commitment to equity ensuring all students have access to fresh, locally sourced, and nutritious school meals.
Food School Hero:
Erin Primer
Erin Primer is the Food Service Director leading the way at San Luis Coastal Unified. She has achieved success by building relationships with leaders from other nonprofits, government officials, and vendors.
“I buy as close as I can. I start in my county and if it isn’t there, I’ll expand a little further out … I want to keep as much money in the local economy as I can.”
Inspiration for her work stems from her background as a student who benefited from school meal programs. She believes in reducing the stigma of meal accessibility which is why she prioritizes simply making good food.
“Free food + good food = increased participation. Everyone needs good food, not just those in need.”
Program
Highlights
Overheard in the Lunch Line
Certification Wins
12g or less of added sugar in all menu items.
30% of produce is locally sourced.
Salad bars in 100% of schools.
Mouth-Watering Menus
This kid favorite is made with responsibly sourced beef and served on a locally baked whole-grain bun.
A flavorful plant-based bowl featuring beans, hearty grains, and crispy sweet potatoes, finished with a house-made chimichurri.
Whole-grain Choco Chip Muffin
Reimagined in partnership with local business, Edna’s Bakery, the new recipe cut more than 7 grams of added sugar per serving proving that healthier choices can still be delicious and student-approved.
Certification Celebration!
The district hosted staff and supporters to celebrate their Silver Tier Eat Real Certification in a two day celebration.
Students had the chance to take part in a Meet the Farmer taste test. The tasting featured Shanley Farm’s finger limes and passion fruit used to create homemade yogurt parfaits.
It is safe to say that the item was a success leaving a student saying, ” Can I have more?!”.
Extra Credit
CIA Training with Ecoliteracy
Through a two-day culinary training program at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, the SLCUSD nutrition team gained instruction and skills on how to better prepare scratch-made meals for their students. The team learned the importance of mise en place and proper knife skills. At the end of the training, they walked away knowing how to grill and score fresh fish and different techniques to prepare fruits and vegetables.
