About

Founded in 2020, the Massachusetts Healthy School Lunch Coalition (MHSLC) is driven by a passion for creating a healthy, equitable, and sustainable future for all children. We unite students, parents, educators, nutrition and sustainability experts, and policymakers to advocate for nutritious and accessible school meals for every child.

With the support of Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard University, Boston University School of Public Health, and Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science, MHSLC is dedicated to advancing policies that prioritize nutrition security, public health, and equity in school meal programs.

In partnership with Balanced, a leading nonprofit in nutrition and public health, we work tirelessly to ensure that every student has access to healthy, nutritious meals. Balanced’s expertise and resources are vital in helping us advocate for stronger nutrition standards and comprehensive meal programs.

Current Projects

Core Values

Health

We believe in the power of nutritious school meals to shape lifelong eating habits and protect against diet-related diseases.

Equity

We are committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of their background or dietary needs, have access to healthy meals that respect their ethical, religious, and cultural beliefs.

Sustainability

We understand the importance of sustainable practices in securing a livable future for our children and families.

Collaboration

We recognize that achieving our goals requires immediate and collaborative efforts between government, private and public sectors, and individuals.

Inclusion

We strive to create a more inclusive environment that attracts more students to participate in school meal programs.

North Stars

Our work is about more than just what's on the menu.

It's about the health and wellbeing of our children, families, communities, and Commonwealth.

There are few things more important to our children than a healthy, equitable, and liveable future. To guarantee their health now and into the future, we must ensure the quality of school food is the priority.

Healthy Habits

Every time we feed children, it's an opportunity to teach them about nutrition and build healthy habits. Just as importantly, children who don't have access to healthy food at home develop eating patterns and health outcomes based on what they're served at school.

Nutrition Security for All

For Universal Free School Meals to truly fulfill their universal mandate, it's crucial to provide food that suits all students' needs. For a long time, the conversation about school food has been rightly focused on food security. While food access remains a critical priority, the rapid rise of diet-related disease highlights that nutrition security is increasingly urgent.

Equity

It is critical to consider and address the patterns of socioeconomic, racial, environmental, and intergenerational inequalities related to food access, nutritional quality, and diet-related health outcomes. A just food system is not only about access to calories—it is about access to foods that promote good health, socioeconomic equity, and a livable future. School is the great equalizer for children, and school food presents a powerful opportunity to purvey food that will guarantee the nutritional health of all children, as well as the health of the planet upon which they depend.

Current Projects