Universal Meals
The Universal Meals Initiative showcases the importance of students obtaining meals in order to reach their full academic potential.
California was the first state in the nation to adopt a statewide Universal Meals Program law for all school children, thus elevating school meals as an integral part of a quality education system.
The California Universal Meals Program provides the opportunity for all students to reach their full academic potential by fueling their brains and nurturing their social-emotional needs for optimal learning. The California Universal Meals Program is designed to build on the foundations of the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) and to supplement, not replace, federal requirements.
Key components include:
- Expanding the existing California State Meal Mandate defined in Education Code (EC), Section 49501.5 to include both a nutritiously adequate breakfast and lunch at no charge for all children each school day regardless of individual eligibility.
- Continuing to comply with all federal requirements for the NSLP and SBP including, but not limited to, collection of meal applications in nonprovision sites.
- Requiring schools with an identified student percentage of 40% or greater to participate in a federal provision such as the Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2.
- Providing the state meal reimbursement for the California Universal Meals Program to public school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that are approved sponsors of both the NSLP and SBP. The state will provide supplemental reimbursement through Proposition 98 funding to cover the difference between the federal free meal reimbursement rate and the reduced-price and paid reimbursement rates.
Budget Information on Universal Meals
The state meal reimbursement for the California Universal Meals Program is subject to annual budget appropriation. Through budget appropriations, the state provides supplemental funding so that all qualifying meals served as a part of the program are reimbursed at the federal free reimbursement rate and up to the total amount approved in the state budget. In total, the 2024–25 state budget includes $1.846 billion in the Proposition 98 General Fund to fund universal access to subsidized school meals.
More information can be found on the following California Department of Education (CDE) web pages:
For questions on the California Universal Meals Program, please contact the Nutrition Services Division at SNPInfo@cde.ca.gov.
Universal Meals is one key part of State Superintendent Tony Thurmond’s Transforming School Initiatives.