Fresno Unified School District is Eat Real Certified!
We are excited to celebrate our friends at Fresno Unified School District (FUSD)—the third largest district in California—for their continued progress towards putting real food on the table for their students and becoming Eat Real Certified Green!
Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) has achieved a major milestone by becoming Eat Real Certified Green! This recognition highlights the district’s commitment to providing high-quality, nutritious meals to its 71,480 students—87.3% of whom rely on school meals each day. FUSD’s achievement showcases not only the magnitude of their operation but also their dedication to making continuous, meaningful changes.
FUSD’s food program is a feat of large-scale logistics. With 104 district schools and 11,500,000 breakfasts and lunches served annually, the district’s nutrition team is nothing short of impressive.
But beyond the numbers, it’s their focus on enhancing the quality of ingredients and introducing nutritious options for students that truly stands out. FUSD serves organic, pasture-raised beef and organic Mary’s chicken on middle and high school menus, while also increasing plant-based options like Chana Masala on all menus.
FUSD has been relentless in pushing for cleaner, less processed ingredients and more sustainable practices. From their work with nine Brigaid chefs to introduce more scratch-made meals, to their commitment to offering more menu variety and compostable packaging, Fresno’s Nutrition Services team has embraced the culture of continuous improvement.
As a result of all these student-centered changes, more students are eating and enjoying what they are eating; FUSD served 800K more meals in SY 23-24 than they did in SY 22-23! By achieving Eat Real certification, they’ve shown that even a mega-district can lead the way in providing nutritious, environmentally responsible meals—proving that incremental, strategic changes can make a big impact on the health and well-being of students.
This certification isn’t just a victory for Fresno Unified, it’s a testament to what’s possible.
About Eat Real
Eat Real nourishes the future of American school children through their award-winning K-12 certification program. District food service leaders are provided both the framework and support they need to make their school menus more delicious, nutritious and planet-sustaining. To achieve Eat Real certification, a district must meet a set of minimum requirements and earn a score of at least 60% to be green tier certified, based on an assessment against the 10 Eat Real Standards.
