Innovation in School Food Service: A Berkeley Unified School District Case Study (2010)

Undergraduate: Alyse Alvord

Faculty Advisor: Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Department: Public Policy

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One in three American children are clinically obese. Childhood obesity contributes to type 2 diabetes, previously known as “adult-onset diabetes”, in children, increasing their risk of heart attack and stroke. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) offers a rare opportunity to teach children about healthy food. Studies demonstrate, however, that NSLP participants are more likely to become obese than non-participants. Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) developed a lunch program that effectively teaches children about healthy food. Every BUSD school has a vegetable garden and serves lunches made from scratch. This thesis identifies the factors that enabled BUSD’s success in reforming their lunch program. The researcher interviewed key informants, reviewed public documents and observed the district’s central kitchen, main cafeteria and largest school garden. The researcher used CDC’s EZ Text to analyze interviews for recurrent themes. The data demonstrates that BUSD lunch reform was successful because of adequate financing, formation of a food policy, integration of food into the educational mission, and community support guided by determined leaders. Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) was assessed to determine whether it has the components to enable lunch reform similar to BUSD. The main barrier to lunch reform in CHCCS is financing. CHCCS's low rate of students eligible for free or reduced price lunches disqualifies them from receiving many school lunch grants.