Investing Millions in Healthy, Climate-friendly School Foods in California

Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature approved a budget that invests in school kitchen improvements and staff training, local and plant-based food and beverage purchasing, and the protection of free breakfast and lunch programs. This is a huge win that will greatly improve California’s school food system and help ensure all students have access to nutritious meals at school.  

The final budget includes funding for a handful of key school food initiatives, such as:  

• $500 million for the Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) Program, which will help schools upgrade kitchens, train staff, expand on-site scratch cooking, and purchase healthy food and beverages—including plant-based foods and nondairy beverages.   
• Continued funding for California’s School Meals for All Program, which provides free breakfast and lunch for every student.  
• $25 million for California’s Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, connecting schools with California farmers to bring more fresh, local food to students.  
• $14 million for the Healthy School Food Pathway Program, building a strong school food workforce to support scratch cooking and fresh, healthy meals. 

“California is continuing to lead the nation by investing in school meals that are healthier, more inclusive, and better for the climate,” said Chloë Waterman, Senior Program Manager at Friends of the Earth. “By ensuring schools can use Kitchen Infrastructure and Training funding to procure plant-based foods and nondairy beverages, this budget helps equip districts with the resources they need to expand student choice while reducing the climate impact of school meals.” 

In January 2026, Congress passed a bill that allows school districts to offer nondairy milk options on the lunch line and requires schools to offer a nondairy milk option to any student whose parent requests one based on a disability, including lactose intolerance. Despite this, many schools cannot afford to add nondairy milk on their lunch lines without additional funding. 

Over 60% of students in California public schools are from low-income households that rely on free school meals as their primary source of nutrition. And without access to nondairy milk alternatives, students who do not consume dairy are left without a healthy beverage at school. 

As a result, Friends of the Earth joined over 120 school districts, health professionals, environmental groups, parents, students, and other healthy food advocates to urge California lawmakers to take advantage of this change and use state funds to implement the bill in California’s public schools. This new budget does just that by increasing funding for schools to purchase plant-based food and nondairy milk options, creating more inclusive menus for all students.

Plant-based meals and nondairy beverages are also climate-friendly since they tend to be much less resource-intensive to produce. They could also help reduce food waste – approximately 45 million gallons of milk are thrown away in schools every year. Providing nondairy milk options could reduce this waste as students can select the beverages they prefer or need.  

This budget is a huge win that opens the door for students across California to have access to healthier, more inclusive, climate-friendly school meals while strengthening local economies and building a more resilient food system. Moving forward, Friends of the Earth will continue to work with lawmakers and school districts to expand access to nutritious and delicious plant-based options in California and beyond.