Free lunch is back for San Diego Unified students. What’s on the menu?

Danielle Dawson
·2 min read
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SAN DIEGO — With school back in session, the San Diego Unified School District’s free breakfast and lunch program has returned for the second year.

The program, which was first administered last year under California’s Universal Meals Program, offers free breakfast and lunch options for all students regardless of income.

This year, participating students will be able to munch on everything from sunbutter and jelly sandwiches and cheeseburgers to Baja fish tacos and mandarin chicken.

A sample of some of the meals offered at SDUSD’s “Kid’s Choice Café” elementary school program and the “Sandi Coast Café” secondary school service can be found below.

According to the district, students are also required to take a half-cup of fruits or vegetables in addition to their entrée. Milk is also available for students. The full menu, including alternatives for those with dietary restrictions can be found here.

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All students are eligible to get one breakfast or one lunch per day at no cost as part of SDUSD’s program.

As part of the program, some households might also have to complete a form called the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) Alternative Income Form. This can be found in the district’s Powerschool parent portal.

According to SDUSD, the LCFF forms help the district collect the maximum possible funding from the state to support its schools.

Implemented last school year, California’s Universal Meals Program was the first state program of its kind, expanding on the federal National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program to provide a “nutritiously adequate breakfast and lunch.”

In the past, students had to qualify for free meals from their schools based on certain criteria like their parents’ income taxes, the ZIP code from where the family resides and the level of poverty in the school’s surrounding area.

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