San Luis Coastal's meal program gets national recognition for quality, sustainability, and nutritional value 

Six years ago, the San Luis Coastal Unified School District's (SLCUSD) meal program was struggling and losing money.

So the district made a bet: by doubling down on high-quality ingredients, local foods, and healthy meals, student participation would follow suit.

"The more you invest in these good, quality products, the more kids want to eat them, the more meals you serve. And the more meals we serve, the more reimbursement we get back," said Erin Primer, director of food services for SLCUSD.

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• Photo Courtesy Of San Luis Coastal Unified School District
• RECOGNIZED The San Luis Coastal Unified School District's meal program recently earned certification from Eat REAL, recognizing the district's efforts to source local food, such as Windrose Farm's grapes.

The district's bet paid off. Since that decision, student interest in the district's food has steadily climbed, and today, more than half of the student population is opting for school meals. The food services budget, in turn, is back in the black.

"We've almost doubled our team. We have chefs on-site. We have more full-time positions, more skilled labor positions. It's just been a wonderful thing all around," Primer said. "And most importantly, at the center of all of it are these kids who are eating real food—food that is actually nourishing them."

Now, the program's success is gaining national recognition.

Eat REAL, a nonprofit "dedicated to transforming food in K-12 schools," recently certified SLCUSD's meal program at a "silver" level.

The organization evaluates school food based on a rigorous set of criteria related to nutrition, sustainability, and overall transparency, according to school district officials.

Primer explained that SLCUSD is the first school district in California—and the second in the U.S.—to achieve silver status from Eat REAL.

"I look at it like Michelin stars for school food. It's a very elite category to be in," Primer said.

In a statement on the certification, Eat REAL CEO Nora LaTorre said that SLCUSD's program should be "the model for many years to come for school districts throughout the country."

"SLCUSD's dedication to their students and their community can be seen in the food they serve in the cafeteria every day," LaTorre said. "They demonstrate what innovative farm-to-school and scratch-cooking can look like."

Reflecting on SLCUSD's "food journey," Primer said that the pandemic really accelerated its efforts to source food locally. Now, she said, 42 percent of the food budget is spent directly with local farms and food businesses.

"Before the pandemic, we were buying from local farms, and then when everything shut down, we were like, 'Wow, we better really lean into this, or these farms might not be here when we're on the other side of it,'" Primer said.

SLCUSD's investment in Central Coast food goes beyond local produce. Primer noted the district's recent exploration of proteins, buying lentils from Kandarian Organic Farms, cheese from Cal Poly, and beef from Hearst Ranch.

"This is how we've been able to expand," she said.

With California now rolling out universal free meals for all students, Primer said the sky's the limit for where the model can go. She said the state's move will help erase long-standing equity issues with school cafeterias.

"It completely destigmatizes school lunch," she said.

And now that SLCUSD has found success with its program, Primer hopes the blueprint can be used elsewhere. While there is some investment and risk upfront, the district has shown how prioritizing local sources can pay off.

"As great as it is for San Luis Coastal, we want to expand. Unlike a restaurant, we don't compete for customers," she said. "We want to make sure everybody knows: These are the farmers to work with, or these are the recipes to use. Let's share and make it better for everybody."

Fast fact

• Sun Day Carwash in San Luis Obispo is having its grand opening party on Sunday, Oct. 23. All day on Oct. 23, the carwash will be offering customers free washes, free Scout Coffee beverages and cookies, a free photoshoot with Bessy the Foto Bus, and a sweepstakes for five lifetime memberships. Sun Day Carwash is located at 363 Santa Rosa St. Δ

Assistant Editor Peter Johnson wrote this week's Strokes and Plugs. Send tidbits to [email protected].