Our school meal program is now Eat Real certified at the Gold Tier! 

We are thrilled to announce that this fall, our Child Nutrition Services department is Eat Real certified at the gold tier. This achievement demonstrates our unwavering commitment to serving nutritious, fresh, and high-quality meals that support the health and well-being of our students. We are the first district in the nation to achieve this certification tier!

During the certification process, Eat Real evaluated our program against their ten standards, which go well beyond federal and state child nutrition program regulations. These standards assess the nutrition and the sustainability of the food we serve, such as procuring local ingredients, using minimally processed ingredients, and managing food waste. We are proud to have met and exceeded these standards.

Here are some examples of the impact on student meals made possible through the Eat Real certification process:

•  Making meals in-house with quality ingredients: Our staff prepares an average of 69% of menu items across all menus using minimally processed ingredients.

• Quality of animal products: We are proud to work with CreamCo and other local suppliers to provide local, organic animal products. In fact, more than 50% of animal-based menu items offered across menus meet at least one sustainable sourcing label claim.

• Reducing sugar: We keep added sugar to a minimum by not offering juice, flavored milk or flavored yogurt. Did you know that no item on our menu contains more than 9 grams of added sugar per serving?

• Local sourcing: 66% of our fresh produce comes from area farmers, and 4% of the produce we source is organically grown.

We are committed to continually improving our nutrition program and providing healthy and delicious meals to our students. Read more about our Eat Real certification and Eat Real’s mission to nourish the future by increasing school kids’ access to the delicious, nutritious, planet-sustaining food they need to thrive.

Federal Nutrition Guidelines

School meals programs are required to meet specific nutrition standards to operate the school meals program. The baseline standards are set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Education. The WCSD menu will continue to meet the federal nutrition standards, including limits on calories, sodium and unhealthy fats. Students choose from a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and low fat or fat free milk with every meal.  

Per federal guidelines, school lunches must include: 

• More fruits and vegetables: Vegetable choices must include weekly offerings of legumes, dark green and red/orange vegetables. Students are required to take at least one half-cup serving of fruits or vegetables with every school breakfast and lunch. 

• Whole grains: At least half of the grains offered with school meals must be whole grain-rich (at least 51% whole grain). 

• Free drinking water must be available in the cafeteria during lunch.  

Daily Amounts Based on the Average for a 5-Day Week for K-8 Grades

Min-max calories (kcal)  600–650

Saturated fat (% of calories) < 10

Sodium (mg) ≤ 1,230