Massachusetts Takes the Next Step for School Nutrition

Massachusetts has established a permanent School Meal Nutrition Standards Advisory Council, building on the Commonwealth’s national leadership in school nutrition. As a member of the Massachusetts Healthy School Lunch Coalition, Balanced is proud to celebrate this shared milestone and to collaborate on what comes next.

Boston, MA - This week brought a milestone worth celebrating for students across Massachusetts. On July 9, Governor Maura Healey signed the fiscal year 2027 budget, and with it — through Section 63 — the Commonwealth established a permanent School Meal Nutrition Standards Advisory Council.

With Massachusetts schools serving more than 100 million meals a year, the food on students’ trays shapes the health of an entire generation. This new council is a meaningful step toward making sure those meals keep getting better, and it’s the product of years of collaborative work by school nutrition professionals, families, students, public health experts, and legislators across the state.

Building on a Foundation of Success

Massachusetts has long been a national leader in using its schools to nourish kids and combat food insecurity. Universal Free School Meals showed the country what’s possible when a state commits to feeding every child, regardless of their family’s income. And in 2023, the School Meal Nutrition Standards Commission brought together experts and stakeholders to chart a path toward stronger, healthier school menus.

The new advisory council is the natural next step. It takes the momentum of those efforts and gives the Commonwealth a permanent, collaborative body to keep the conversation going — year after year, meeting after meeting.

Massachusetts has long been a national leader in using its schools to combat food insecurity, and Universal Free School Meals showed what's possible when a state commits to feeding every child. We're honored to have a seat at the table, and we look forward to listening, learning, and collaborating. — Audrey Lawson-Sanchez, Founder and Executive Director, Balanced

What the Council Does

Housed within the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the council will advise the commissioner on nutrition standards for meals served in public schools and support the implementation of the 2023 Commission’s recommendations. In practice, that means:

• Providing ongoing guidance to help align school nutrition standards with current public health guidance;

• Offering feasibility assessments so that standards are workable in real cafeterias; and

• Working directly with school food authorities to support practical implementation on issues like procurement, facilities, and workforce training.

The council brings together 11 members, including six appointed by the governor who are school nutrition operators or registered dieticians representing geographically, racially, and socio-economically diverse school districts. Its members also include representatives from Project Bread, the School Nutrition Association of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Healthy School Lunch Coalition, Massachusetts Farm to School, and the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative. The council will meet at least four times a year.

From Access to Excellence

If Universal Free School Meals answered the question of whether every child can eat at school, this council helps carry that progress forward, pairing the gains made on access with a shared, long-term focus on the health of students and families.

That’s a vision we care about deeply. Balanced’s mission is grounded in nutrition security: helping ensure that the food available to students supports their long-term health and learning. We’re proud to bring that perspective to the table in a spirit of collaboration, alongside partners who have been doing this work for years.

We’re grateful for the chance to help write the next chapter, shoulder to shoulder with people who care as deeply about kids’ health as we do. — Audrey Lawson-Sanchez

A Shared Milestone

As our coalition partner Beth-Anne Farrow of the Massachusetts Healthy School Lunch Coalition put it, this is “more than a policy achievement. It is a long-term investment in the health, wellbeing, and future of children across the Commonwealth.”

We couldn’t agree more. Congratulations to the students, families, school nutrition professionals, advocates, and leaders who made this possible, and thank you, Governor Healey and the Massachusetts Legislature, for your leadership. We're honored to be part of what comes next.

Balanced is a nutrition security nonprofit working to transform K–12 school meals so that every student has access to nutritious, fiber-rich, plant-forward food. Learn more at balanced.org.