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Overview
Overview
The U.S. is facing a dual crisis in public health and environmental sustainability, and our food system sits at the center of both. Ultra-processed foods dominate children’s diets, leading to a rise in preventable food-related disease and shortening lifespans, while industrial food production drives greenhouse gas emissions, depletes soil health, and accelerates climate change. Public school cafeterias — which have more locations Starbucks, Subway, and McDonalds combined — are one of the largest and most impactful opportunities for change.
Eat Real’s mission is to transform school meal programs into engines of health, sustainability, and nutrition equity. We help districts shift away from ultra-processed foods and toward fresh, real meals sourced from local and sustainable farms and ranches. This not only improves children’s diets and long-term health outcomes, but also strengthens local economies, reduces carbon emissions, and promotes regenerative farming practices.
Our ambition is bold but achievable: to make real food the norm in every U.S. public school, creating a generation of healthier kids and a food system that restores our planet.
Alignment with the EAT-Lancet Commission
Alignment with the EAT-Lancet Commission
Eat Real directly advances the EAT-Lancet Commission’s call for a healthy diets and sustainable food production by shifting school meals toward more fruits, vegetables, and sustainably sourced proteins, while reducing ultra-processed foods, added sugars, and industrial meat. Our certification framework embeds nutrition, sustainability, and waste prevention standards, helping districts make systemic changes that support human health and planetary boundaries.
Key actors
Key actors
Foodservice Directors: Our partners provide compelling stories of what it looks like to shift from ultra-processed to real food, while navigating tight budgets, federal guidelines, and cultural preferences. Their voices show both the feasibility and the impact on kids, communities, and local businesses.
Nora LaTorre (CEO and Co-founder, Eat Real): Nora speaks to the urgency of transforming America’s food system and frames the opportunity for schools to lead the way. She connects systemic issues to Eat Real’s practical, scalable solutions.
Dr. Robert Lustig (CSO and Co-founder, Eat Real) and Dr. Jordan Shlain (Co-founder): Both nationally recognized physicians, they bring scientific and clinical authority. Dr. Lustig connects the dots between processed food, chronic disease, and children’s health. Dr. Shlain highlights the broader health and economic consequences of our current food system.
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
Public school cafeterias are both a challenge and a massive opportunity. They serve 7 billion meals per year, yet operate under intense financial and regulatory pressure. Despite this, our district partners consistently innovate, proving that real food is possible at scale. The surprise is how quickly change accelerates when districts are given the right tools and support: kids embrace it, and communities thrive.
Next steps
Next steps
Scale district partnerships: Expand Eat Real Certification to reach more districts nationwide, proving impact across diverse contexts.
Change the culture of school food: Partner with school food champions at a local and national level to change the conversation around school food, focusing on nourishing kids with real food, elevating foodservice leaders as change agents, and connecting school meals to broader goals of health, equity, and sustainability.
Research & data: Deepen data collection on health and academic outcomes for students, climate impact, and equity outcomes to demonstrate systemic change and model viability at a national level.
Who we collaborate with: As a 501c3 we hope to partner with philanthropists, foundations, corporate partners and governments to fund and scale this proven model. We hope to raise $20M USD over three years to reach 3,000,000 kids in 30 states and to inspire global momentum.
For more information contact: Nora Latorre, nora@eatreal.org
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