Program Area
Youth Nutrition
Supporting school food leaders in serving the most nourishing, delicious food possible.
Nutritious, minimally processed food helps children thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally, yet many kids remain undernourished and at risk for chronic health challenges. Public school food programs offer one of the most effective ways to improve children's nutrition nationwide by providing healthier, more delicious meals. Life Time Foundation is working with partners to lead and support this growing movement for better school food. Through our free resource, Green Onion, we help schools identify ingredients of concern and make healthier menu choices.
Life Time Foundation is committed to ensuring every child has access to fresh, wholesome food by partnering with schools and food service professionals. Rather than imposing solutions, we collaborate with communities to support nutritious meals in whatever way works best for them.
Our Latest Impact
What we do
Life Time Foundation partners with school leaders to create healthier, higher-quality school food programs by providing free tools, resources, and expert support. Through ingredient analysis software, dietitian guidance, culinary training, and grants for kitchen equipment, the Foundation helps schools build the capacity needed to transition to scratch cooking and serve more freshly prepared meals. The Foundation also promotes clean-label food choices by helping schools identify and reduce unnecessary additives, artificial ingredients, and highly processed products. By developing long-term, customized partnerships, the Foundation supports sustainable improvements that enhance meal quality and promote better health outcomes for students.
Key Programming
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Created by Life Time Foundation, Green Onion is a free software tool that helps school districts serve the most nutritious and delicious food possible to students. The platform simplifies ingredient label analysis, allowing school food leaders to quickly identify additives, artificial ingredients, and highly processed products. By helping districts decipher complex food labels and find cleaner food options, Green Onion supports schools in making informed purchasing decisions and advancing healthier, higher-quality meal programs.
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Life Time Foundation proudly collaborates with ScratchWorks, a collective of school food professionals and nonprofit organizations working to help school districts serve healthier meals through scratch cooking. Together, we support schools in using whole, fresh ingredients, sharing best practices, and building sustainable food programs that improve student health and well-being.
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The Ingredient Guide for Better School Food Purchasing helps schools identify and select food products that meet higher ingredient and nutrition standards. In partnership with the Life Time Foundation, the guide provides practical resources to support healthier school food purchasing and improve student wellness.
Resources
Tools for School Food Leaders.
Healthy + Happy #1: The State of School Food