Organic School Food Roadmap

The Organic School Food Roadmap is a practical “how-to” guide, developed to help school food service teams make organic purchasing decisions and overcome key challenges when buying organic foods. The report outlines six key strategies and shares seven brief case studies from diverse school districts that show how school districts with various food service models can successfully source organic food. While the roadmap is geared towards California school districts, we hope it can inspire school districts across the country to consider sourcing organic foods. See below for more information on Friends of the Earth’s Climate-Friendly School Food Program. We’d love to hear from you!  

Resources: 

1. Organic Product and Supplier List 
2. Grant Opportunities for School Districts 
3. Organic School Food Technical Assistance Resources
4. Why Organic School Food: Benefits of Organic Food and Farming
5. Organic School Food Case Studies 

Case Studies: 

1. Tahoe Truckee USD 
2. Natomas USD 
3. San Francisco USD 
4. Morgan Hill USD 
5. San Luis Coastal USD 
6. Riverside USD 
7. Encinitas USD 

Watch recordings from our Healthy, Climate-Friendly School Food Webinar Series! 

1. Webinar 1: Organic, Plant-Forward, Scratch-Cooked School Meals: Is It Possible? 
2. Webinar 2: Organic School Food Purchasing: Stories from Three California School Districts 
3. Webinar 3: The Organic School Food Roadmap: Getting Started and Forging Partnerships 
4. Webinar 4: The State of School Menus in CA: Policy & Funding Options for Expanding Climate-Friendly Meals 

Friends of the Earth’s Climate-Friendly School Food Program helps school districts make the shift towards healthy, delicious, organic and plant-forward menus. The program provides technical assistance and marketing materials, supports student and community engagement strategies, and links school districts with the resources they need to be successful. Friends of the Earth also partners with school districts and NGOs to advocate for state and federal policy change. To join our advocacy efforts or to request support on implementing climate-friendly food strategies, please email [email protected]  

Additional Resources: 

• Organic, Plant-Forward, Scratch Cooked School Meals: A California Case Study 
• Video: Student School Food Advocacy
• Scaling Up Healthy, Climate-Friendly School Food 
• Shrinking the Carbon and Water Footprint of School Food: A Pilot Analysis of Oakland Unified School District’s Food Program 
• Plant-Forward Food: A Powerful Step Toward Climate-Friendly Schools  
• School Food Toolkit for Change