Title
Calling on the School District of Philadelphia to reexamine its policies and practices concerning the provision of healthy, nutritious, and high-quality meals to Philadelphia public school students.
Body
WHEREAS, Every Philadelphia public school student deserves access to healthy, nutritious, and high-quality meals that support their growth, well-being, and ability to learn; and
WHEREAS, School meals are an essential part of the student experience and provide an important source of daily nourishment for children and families throughout Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, A meaningful assessment of school meals should consider nutritional value alongside freshness, taste, variety, appropriate serving temperatures, portion sizes, and whether students have sufficient time to eat; and
WHEREAS, Differences in school kitchen infrastructure, equipment, staffing, and preparation methods can affect the meals students receive, particularly in schools that rely on food prepared off-site, delivered, and reheated before service; and
WHEREAS, Public reporting has documented that meals served in some Philadelphia public schools have been prepared and packaged in Brooklyn, New York, transported to Philadelphia, and reheated before being served to students; and
WHEREAS, Research from Temple University’s RISE Lab reports that the share of Philadelphia households experiencing low or very low food security rose from 20.1 percent in 2019-20 to 24.5 percent in 2023-24, and for many students from these households, school meals are a primary and dependable source of nutritious food, including when breakfast is not available at home; and
WHEREAS, RISE Lab research further reports that, despite the availability of universal school meals, participation remains low across the District, at 32 percent for breakfast and 48 percent for lunch, and identifies barriers to participation that include stigma, lack of time and resources, competitive foods, and perceptions of food quality; and
WHEREAS, Some students who participated in RISE Lab research have reported skipping school lunch because of how it tastes, its temperature, and its seasoning, and when students who rely on school meals do not eat them, existing food insecurity is made worse, leaving some students without a reliable source of nutritious food during the school day and undermining their ability to learn and perform in school; and
WHEREAS, The District should examine its current meal preparation locations, the time between preparation and service, transportation and storage conditions, and opportunities to improve freshness and quality through local meal production; and
WHEREAS, Examining disparities between schools with full-service kitchens and those with satellite kitchens can help identify necessary investments and ensure that students have equitable access to quality meals regardless of the school they attend; and
WHEREAS, Student participation, food waste, and feedback from students, families, and school staff are important measures for assessing whether school meal programs are meeting students’ needs; and
WHEREAS, Temple University’s RISE (Research in Implementation Science to Enhance Equity) Lab, led by Dr. Gabriella McLoughlin, conducts research to strengthen the implementation of universal school meals in Philadelphia and support the School District in delivering meals that students can access and benefit from; and
WHEREAS, RISE’s research and community engagement can help inform the District’s review of barriers to meal participation and identify practical improvements grounded in the experiences of students and school communities; and
WHEREAS, A RISE Lab pilot conducted in Philadelphia schools during the 2025-2026 academic year, which tested school-community-designed strategies such as menu promotion, flavor enhancements, and hydroponic produce, found an estimated statistically significant increase in overall student meal participation of 11.4 percent associated with the intervention, which RISE reports supports scaling up the initiative; and
WHEREAS, Philly Cooks for Philly is working to advance local meal production through a proposed Philadelphia-based central kitchen, with the goals of improving access to nourishing meals, supporting local businesses, and creating employment opportunities; and
WHEREAS, Philly Cooks for Philly’s planning and feasibility work offers an opportunity for the District to evaluate whether centralized, local meal preparation could improve freshness, quality, and consistency, particularly for schools without full-service kitchens; and
WHEREAS, Reviewing food procurement, vendor performance, delivery procedures, and contract requirements can help the District identify opportunities to improve accountability and the responsible use of public resources; and
WHEREAS, Students should have meaningful opportunities to inform menu development and meal improvements through accessible feedback, taste tests, student advisory groups, and other forms of direct engagement; and
WHEREAS, Improving school meals requires collaboration among District leadership, the Board of Education, food service employees, students, families, nutrition professionals, researchers, and community partners, with attention to funding, staffing, and infrastructure needs; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council calls on the School District of Philadelphia to reexamine its policies and practices concerning the provision of healthy, nutritious, and high-quality meals to Philadelphia public school students, including nutritional quality, freshness, portion sizes, serving temperatures, meal preparation locations, transportation and storage, procurement and vendor oversight, kitchen capacity, student participation and barriers to participation, particularly for students experiencing food insecurity, food waste, and opportunities for locally prepared meals; and to develop and publicly share an improvement plan informed by students, families, food service employees, research from Temple University’s RISE Lab, and the planning work of Philly Cooks for Philly, with clear priorities, resource needs, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
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