Earlier this year, Dairy Council of California convened Well-Nourished, Brighter Futures: Dairy Dialogue in Sacramento, Calif. Centered on envisioning equitable and sustainable solutions for school meals and scholar success, the event brought together school nutrition professionals, dietitians, dairy community leaders, and allied partners around a common goal: supporting student achievement through access to nutrient-dense school meals.

Participants explored a variety of aspects of school meals to identify challenges, opportunities, and actionable solutions. In addition, they examined strategies to reduce food and packaging waste, expand local dairy purchasing, and support school nutrition programs to meet evolving federal and state nutrition standards and sustainability goals.

Key informant interviews uncovered three core challenges:

• There is a lack of in-school nutrition education, particularly around dairy.
• There is limited understanding of logistics for integrating dairy into school meals.
• There is insufficient communication between the dairy community, school nutrition staff, and students.

In January 2025, Dairy Dialogue attendees discussed ways to boost the understanding of school food service and processor needs related to evolving school meal standards. Also important was envisioning the future to ensure positive positioning of milk and dairy foods in school meal programs to support student nutrition security. Looking for collaborative sustainability efforts that support schools, they considered how to reduce waste and increase local food purchasing. At the end of the day, the group prioritized three key actionable strategies:

• Redefine what nutrition education means in schools by centering evidence-based nutrition, engaging youth in their own learning, and emphasizing farm-to-cafeteria supply chains.
• Broaden the opportunities for young people to enjoy dairy by incorporating a wider cultural variety of dairy foods and emphasizing the human and cultural connections dairy foods provide.
• Activate community support through collaboration, advocacy, and education and extend the work of dairy community leaders across the state.

The results of this process exemplify the need for dairy champions across the state to continue investing in innovative solutions that promote student wellness. By working together, everyone has a role in shaping more equitable, sustainable, and nourishing school meals by driving innovation, elevating nutrition education, and positioning dairy’s important role in fueling scholar success. Join us in our efforts by visiting DairyCouncilofCA.org.

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