Food Services

The Food Services program believes that healthy bodies make healthy minds. The focus is on offering meals that are nutritious and well received by students. Food Services programs serve more than 135,000 meals and snacks daily to schools.

{Apply for the Free and Reduced Meal Program}

Meals are vended to childcare centers, private schools, charter schools and other organizations located in San Diego. For more details on our breakfast and lunch programs, click here: descriptions of meal programs.

Meals are served to students through the federally funded USDA National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Food is also served at some schools and city parks during the summer through the Summer Food Service Program, in partnership with the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department.

Staff pursues the program’s purpose of providing healthy meals and snacks amid continual increases in operating costs such as labor, fuel, and food, equipment replacement and other capital needs and new nutritional mandates. The program has dealt with these challenges by increasing meal participation and introducing innovative programs such as Breakfast in the Classroom and the Summer Food Service Program.

The program and individual staff members have been recognized multiple times in the media, and by professional organizations for outstanding programs and activities. Food Services is proud to be nationally recognized for the quality of its services while continuing to raise the standards of school food. Staff plans to continue increasing the profile of Food Services as an important partner in the education process.

Program Goals

• To provide healthy meals daily to students, preparing them to learn and guiding them in the process to develop positive life-long eating habits.

• To meet USDA nutritional guidelines.

• Continue to expand program access to student meals.

• To remain a financially self-sufficient department.

• To continue to look for partnerships and coalitions among public and private sectors to enhance programs and quality of food.

Meal Programs

San Diego Unified has some of the most innovative and progressive Food Service programs in the nation. Its "café concepts" bring restaurant-style marketing to the schools, creating a more attractive, convenient and fun atmosphere for students. This is consistent with the department's primary goal of good nutrition for its students.

{Breakfast in the Classroom}	Breakfast in the Classroom With Breakfast in the Classroom, students in selected San Diego Unified Schools get breakfast with their first lessons of the day, every day. Read more.
{Kid}	Kid's Choice Café Kid’s Choice Café is an elementary school healthy-choice breakfast and lunch program that encourages students to choose foods wisely and establish lifelong positive eating habits. Read more.
{SanDi Coast Cafe}	SanDi Coast Café SanDi Coast Café is a totally new concept in service and menu choices introduced for the 2009-10 school year. It offers a wider than ever variety of choices to encourage students to have a healthy breakfast and lunch. Read more.
{Summer Fun Cafe}	Summer Fun Cafe San Diego Unified School District partners with the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department to bring the US Department of Agriculture's "Seamless Summer Feeding Option" to local children during the summer months. Read more.