Safe Food

Why Safe Food in School Matters

Every day, nearly 30 million children eat school-provided meals. For many students, cafeteria food makes up the majority of their daily nutrition, meaning school lunches play a critical role in shaping health, development, and lifelong habits.

According to the School Nutrition Association, “To receive federal reimbursements for each meal they serve, school meal programs must offer ‘reimbursable’ meals that meet strict federal nutrition standards, aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These standards, also referred to as ‘the meal pattern,’ require schools to offer students the right balance of fruits, vegetables, low-fat or fat-free milk, whole grains and lean protein.”

While the USDA claims that school lunches are the “most nutritious,” recent investigations have found problematic aspects of what’s typically served in cafeterias.

Mystery Ingredients

An October 2024 report by WJLA-TV in Washington, DC revealed that foods tested from some school cafeterias contained pesticides, heavy metals and veterinary drugs. The laboratory that tested these foods found:

• 38 different pesticides were detected in just one elementary school lunch.
• 23 pesticides were found in a single strawberry cup.
• The fungicide, carbendazim, which is banned in most European countries, Brazil and Australia because it is increasingly connected to cancer, infertility, and birth defects, was found in five of twelve samples.
• Glyphosate, a widely used and controversial weed killer, often marketed as Round-Up, and connected to cancer, diabetes, and heart problems, was detected in multiple samples, often in wheat-based products like bread.
• Dicamba, a weed killer associated with certain types of cancer, was present in one sample.
• 2,4D, a weed killer shown to increase the risk of some cancers was found in two samples.

Testing by WJLA also revealed findings of:

• Cadmium, a known carcinogen, was detected in our samples at a level 12 times higher than the FDA’s limit for bottled water.
• Arsenic was found in rice that was 6 times higher than what’s allowed in apple juice.
• Lead, of which there is no safe level, was found in 100% of samples.

Ultraprocessed Foods

Ultraprocessed foods can pose serious health risks and unfortunately, these foods are frequent staples among school cafeteria options. Ultraprocessed foods usually go through many industrial changes before hitting the market. These changes include the addition of preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial colors, emulsifiers, and various versions of sweeteners.

According to the Organic Consumers Association, over 70% of children’s diets today consist of ultraprocessed foods.

Ultraprocessed foods were linked to 32 health conditions in a 2004 BMJ review including mental health disorders, obesity,  heart disease, diabetes, and sleep issues.

A 2023 study found that ultraprocessed foods have been associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. These findings were amplified in an April 2025 Nature study which found that ultraprocessed food “increases overall caloric intake and is associated with obesity, cardiovascular disease, and brain pathology.” According to co-author Arsène Kanyamibwa, “Our findings indicate that a high consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with structural changes in brain regions regulating eating behaviour, such as the hypothalamus, amygdala and right nucleus accumbens. This may lead to a cycle of overeating.” Examples of ultraprocessed foods include “sweetened and flavored yogurts; breakfast cereals and bars; cola, energy, and sports drinks; pastries, cakes, cookies, and cake mixes; instant soups; ice cream and frozen desserts; packaged breads, hamburger, and hot dog buns; and pre-prepared pizzas, pasta, hamburgers, sausages, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks.”