What is up with waivers? School meals have given children an anti-hunger, nutrition security lifeline for decades. They are so common across the United States that when the pandemic hit, the first place community members looked for help was their local school...
Spring is on its way. The sun is high and the temperatures are warming up. Spring brings new life, new beginnings, and a time to reset. It is the perfect setting to talk about transformational procurement. No, it is not another “toolkit” to adorn your shelf with hopes...
Emails, texts, blogs, podcasts, virtual school nutrition shows, and virtual national meetings, oh my! We have come a long way in school nutrition with the use of technology but the question that I ponder is: have we gone too far? Additionally, do we rely on technology...
Happy New Year and welcome back to our Urban School Food Alliance blog! This is a real journey into the unknown for a “seasoned” professional such as myself. You see, my generation did not grow up with computers, cell phones, or cars that talk to you. We used to write...
Welcome to the first blog from the Urban School Food Alliance (Alliance or USFA), a small nonprofit representing 17 of the largest districts in the United States. I am Dr. Katie Wilson, the first paid staff member and first Executive Director of the Alliance. The...
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the important role schools play in our food systems, as a source of food for students, an employer of essential food service workers and a market for food producers. The pandemic also exposed the deep, pervasive inequities in our...
The Urban School Food Alliance was formed in 2012 to address the unique needs of the nation’s largest school districts. As a nonprofit group, we share best practices and leverage our purchasing power to continue to drive food quality up and costs down while...
As we celebrate the season of thanks in the month of November, we, the Urban School Food Alliance, are forever grateful to our partners who share our same mission: by making healthy, high quality food accessible to our 3.3 million students. We aim to revolutionize...
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The latest news and headlines from Urban School Food Alliance
Smithsonian Magazine: American Schools Have Been Feeding Children for More Than 100 Years. Here’s How the School Lunch Has Changed
May 13, 2025
A new exhibition in Philadelphia spotlights the evolution of American nutritional health through a unique lens:...
HuffPost: I Randomly Decided To Pay Off A School’s Lunch Debt. Then Something Incredible Happened.
May 5, 2025
The thing about witnessing a 7-year-old having their hot lunch tray yanked away and replaced with a cold sandwich...
Urban School Food Alliance Welcomes Aldine ISD, Leveraging Larger Collective Voice to Transform School Meals
Apr 28, 2025
Washington D.C. – April 28, 2025 – The Urban School Food Alliance (USFA), a powerhouse coalition of the nation’s...
Urban School Food Alliance Releases 2024 Annual Report Highlighting Progress in School Meal Programs Across the Nation
Feb 27, 2025
Washington D.C. – February 24, 2025 – The Urban School Food Alliance (USFA), a coalition of the nation’s largest...