California will become the first in the nation to implement a universal meals program for K-12 schools, in which all children can receive free breakfast and lunch regardless of individual eligibility beginning this school year.
The year-round program ensures that all kids will have access to free meals at school. The program comes as growing numbers of children report experiencing food insecurity. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 15 percent of households with children were food insecure in 2020, up from 13.6 percent in 2019.
On July 9, 2021, Assembly Bill 130, the Education finance: education omnibus budget trailer bill was signed into law by Governor Newsom and established the California Universal Meals Program. The legislation established changes beginning the 2022-23 school year to the state meal mandate and new requirements for high-poverty schools to apply for a federal provision, such as the Community Eligibility Provision.
AB 130 also provided $150 million in one-time funding during the 2021–22 school year to support kitchen infrastructure upgrades and nutrition-related staff training for districts as they prepare for the implementation of Universal Meals.
California’s Universal Meals Program is designed to build on the foundations of the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP).
The federal government launched the Pandemic Era School Wavers Program in March 2020 to help students in need obtain lunch without proof of income throughout the year. It expired on June 30, 2022.
After the bill expired, a group of bipartisan lawmakers passed the Keep Kids Fed Act, but does not include universal free school meals, requiring families to show proof of income.
