CHICAGO — Action for Healthy Kids and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service today announced that 52 school districts received 61 Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Recognition Awards for June 2024. The awards recognize school food authorities making measurable, sustained improvements to the nutritional quality of meals served to students.
The 52-district announcement is the largest single Recognition Awards round to date, signaling that the application process has reached awareness across a wide cross-section of the country.
About the Recognition Awards Program
The HMI Recognition Awards program identifies and celebrates School Food Authorities (SFAs) that go beyond minimum federal nutrition standards. Awards fall into two series:
- Trailblazer Awards recognize districts making evidence-based progress on reducing sodium in school lunches and added sugars in school breakfasts.
- Innovation Awards recognize creative approaches to nutrition education, scratch cooking, cultural diversity in menus, and student and family engagement.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Any SFA participating in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program is eligible to apply, regardless of district size. Both large urban districts and small rural districts are encouraged.
How Districts Qualified
Each award category has a specific set of measurable criteria. Districts document their practices, outcomes, and student engagement efforts, and submit applications through an online portal. Applications are reviewed against published rubrics, with technical assistance available from State Agency contacts throughout the process.
In this round, recognized districts demonstrated improvements that typically include one or more of the following:
- Reducing sodium across lunch menus, often through scratch preparation and procurement changes.
- Cutting added sugars at breakfast by swapping high-sugar items for whole fruit and lower-sugar grain options.
- Building student engagement through taste testing, menu advisory councils, and classroom nutrition education.
- Investing in staff training that unlocked new menu capabilities.
What Happens Next
Recognized districts receive a digital awardee toolkit with press release templates, social media assets, and logo files for local communications. Many awardees are invited to present at the annual Healthy Meals Summit, where they share practices directly with peer districts.
Applications for future award rounds remain open. Interested SFAs can review eligibility, download criteria documents, and start the application process through the Recognition Awards page.
About the Partners
Action for Healthy Kids is a national nonprofit dedicated to improving child nutrition and physical activity through partnerships with families, schools, and communities.
USDA Food and Nutrition Service administers federal nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, serving millions of students each school day.