Houston Independent School District joins the Urban School Food Alliance

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2022 – The Urban School Food Alliance, a coalition of the largest school districts in the United States, is pleased to announce that Houston Independent School District (HISD) has joined its membership. HISD joins Dallas ISD and Austin ISD as the third Alliance member in Texas and the 18th member nationwide. Collectively, school districts in the Alliance now serve more than 4.2 million children with approximately $926 million in purchasing power for food and food supplies.

“The Urban School Food Alliance is excited to welcome HISD to our membership,” said Dr. Katie Wilson, Urban School Food Alliance Executive Director. “HISD is a leader in school nutrition and a strong supporter of our mission to ensure all students have access to high-quality, nutritious meals prepared and sourced through socially responsible practices. The team brings a breadth of knowledge and valuable perspective to the Alliance.”

The Alliance is a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening the school food system through best practice sharing, research and advocacy efforts, and strategic procurement. Its achievements include helping school districts adopt an antibiotic-free standard for poultry, even before many of the nation’s leading restaurants called for healthier poultry on their menus, and removing 225 million polystyrene trays from landfills every year by implementing compostable round plates in school cafeterias.

“As a member of USFA, HISD believes we will have the vehicle to continue to serve good food to our students,” Nutrition Services Officer Betti Wiggins said.

The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in Texas and the eighth-largest in the United States. It serves approximately 197,000 students at 276 campuses and is one of the largest employers in Houston, with about 27,000 team members.

Each year, HISD Nutrition Services serves more than 24 million lunch meals and is home to the largest Breakfast in the Classroom program in the country, serving more than 20 million breakfast meals annually.