Boston Public Schools Food Services Program Receives National Honors
Boston Public Schools’ (BPS) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) earned the “Good Food Leader: Silver” status from the Center for Good Food Purchasing for the 2023-2024 school year. This designation…
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Boston Public Schools' (BPS) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) earned the "Good Food Leader: Silver" status from the Center for Good Food Purchasing for the 2023-2024 school year. This designation recognizes BPS as a national leader in providing students with fresh, nutritious, and locally sourced school meals.
“No student should ever face barriers when it comes to accessing nutritious food. The recognition of our Boston Public Schools as a Good Food Leader reaffirms our commitment to ensuring every young person has the resources they need to thrive,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in a City of Boston news release. “Thanks to Superintendent [Mary] Skipper, City departments, and our community partners, we're proud to deliver thousands of fresh, healthy meals for our students every day.”
According to the city's release, BPS serves more than 8 million meals each school year, including breakfast, lunch, after-school meals, and summer meals, across 123 school buildings. With a food budget of approximately $18 million, BPS's Food and Nutrition Services is the largest school district purchaser of food in New England.
Following the closure of the BPS school kitchens during the COVID-19 pandemic, BPS revamped its meals program. Since 2022, it has focused on serving fresh meals cooked on-site in 107 school buildings. Today, 96% of meals are prepared in-house by BPS food services personnel.
Based on the 2025 Center for Good Food Purchasing report, BPS has been recognized for its achievements in the following areas:
- Exceeding national benchmarks in nutrition and in serving students fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables
- Reinvesting in communities by allocating 18% of the food budget on locally sourced products
- Collaborating with small- and mid-sized local suppliers and nurturing relationships with New England growers
- Creating more appealing, culturally relevant menus based on BPS students' preferences and diverse backgrounds, which has contributed to increased participation in the school meals program and higher financial reimbursements from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Reducing BPS's carbon footprint by sourcing plant-based entrees and foregoing the use of plastic bottles
- Expanding opportunities for food access and community engagement, such as nutrition education, school gardens, grow towers, after-school suppers, and summer meal programs
