This month, Dr. Katie Wilson took the helm of the Urban School Food Alliance (Alliance) as the organization’s first executive director. Founded in 2012, the Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of some the largest school districts in the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami-Dade, Orange County (Orlando), Broward County (Fort Lauderdale), Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston.
Collectively, the districts serve meals to nearly 3.3 million students each day, which translates to more than 584 million meals per year. They have a combined annual food service budget of $755 million.
The Alliance connects the districts on best practices, but more importantly, it enables the programs to collectively leverage their purchasing power to advocate for higher-quality food in American cafeterias that considers cost and the environment.
With school food programs serving more than 30 million children each day in America, the industry is a massive part of the U.S. food system. As FoodCorps has reported, in this country there are seven times more schools than McDonald's franchises.
In our interview below, Dr. Wilson, who previously held roles as deputy under secretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer services at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and as executive director of the Institute of Child Nutrition, outlines the importance of creating robust and quality-focused school food programming for American children as well as her strategic vision as the Alliance's first executive director.
Nicole Rasul: Why is addressing school meal quality and accessibility an important issue?
Katie Wilson: It’s really for the children involved. We have scientific proof that better nutrition absolutely helps children become successful in the classroom. We are at the forefront of that in school meals. As far as nutrition is concerned, school meals really are the best safety net that we have to help children be successful in the classroom. The science proves it.
Rasul: What are your priorities as the first executive director of the Alliance?
Wilson: The organization just had a strategic planning meeting so now we’re prioritizing some of the goals established. The biggest goal that the Alliance has is focused on procurement and ways to better procure healthier foods. We want to make sure that we have a voice in that national conversation.
The organization also wants to make sure we have a voice in the rules and regulations governing school food programming. Child nutrition reauthorization happens every five years and it’s being discussed right now at the congressional level. We want to make sure that the Alliance has a voice in that conversation to ensure that good nutrition standards stay in place and that school meals become an integral part of the school day.
Rasul: How does the Alliance address school meal programming needs for the districts that make up your membership?
Wilson: The Alliance is a group of passionate people who know their role and their responsibility to children in this country. They want to make a difference. When you have that many people with those kind of numbers in regard to the volume of meals they serve, there’s power in what they have to say.
One of the first things that the member districts did together was procure a compostable plate for use by children in the cafeteria rather than a disposable tray. A lot of times, particularly in these larger districts, schools don’t have dish machines. Some of them don’t even have kitchens. As schools are becoming older and facilities are aging, throwaway Styrofoam trays were being used for convenience.
It changes the system when that many people with the sheer volume of purchasing power that they have step up to the plate to say, “we want a higher-quality product.” Now, the districts are looking at compostable silverware and other products that are better for the environment.
I think, due to the volume of meals they serve, these districts will change the American school food system. They have the ability to do that. When these ten districts put a bid out, that product will eventually be made for all districts nationwide. The volume is so huge with these districts that vendors will adjust production nationally. That’s how the Alliance will change the system.
Rasul: Where do you envision the organization in five years? In ten years?
Wilson: My vision is that five years from now everyone will know about the Alliance and what we’re trying to accomplish. When people want to talk about school meals, I want them to look to us for suggestions, for expertise, to ask us how we can work together to move the needle forward.
Ten years from now, I want to look back and be able to say that the Alliance changed the dynamic of school food in America. I want us to make school meals part of the educational process. I want food to no longer be an outside entity, this service that must be done.
In ten years, everyone should view school meals as a critical component of a child’s day. Good food that educates and satisfies should be seen as important as a bus ride or textbook. The expectation should be that food in schools is as good as any teacher or curriculum.
The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
