2026 Food Justice for Kids Prize Recipient

ChangeLab Solutions is honored to be selected as a 2026 Food Justice for Kids Prize recipient by Newman's Own Foundation, Humanitix, Henry P. Kendall Foundation, and Hunger to Health Collaboratory. This support will help us continue our collaboration with state, local, and cross-sector partners to get ultra-processed foods out of school cafeterias and accelerate a nationwide, bipartisan movement to improve access to healthy foods for students. 

Across the country, nonprofits, Tribes, and schools recognized through this year's Food Justice for Kids Prize are working to support kids learning about healthy food, eating nutritious school meals, and engaging with culturally relevant food at school and in communities. We congratulate all of the recipients and are grateful that our work is being recognized alongside so many inspiring organizations. 

Below, learn about the project that this award will help fuel. 

Millions of kids eat school meals and snacks, yet not every school offers healthy, whole-food options. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are associated with poorer diet quality and increased risk of obesity and other chronic diseases. There is a growing bipartisan movement to get UPFs out of schools and set up young people with healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. 

The 2025 Real Food, Healthy Kids Act is California’s law to phase out the highest-risk UPFs from schools. ChangeLab Solutions, in close collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, will convene cross-sector state and local partners in a Community of Practice, supported with peer learning and deep legal and policy technical assistance. Together, we will advance practical implementation strategies, collaborative problem solving, and adaptable resources to support this nationwide movement for healthier school food. 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach for state policy implementation. Yet the work in early-adopter states will have valuable lessons for communities across the nation that are also pushing for these changes. Prize funding will accelerate implementation of California’s law to get UPFs out of schools through a collaborative, on-going, cohort-based model that supports peer learning and accountability. Legal and policy technical assistance will propel problem-solving with on-the-record tools and solutions that can be adapted and replicated. In turn, these tools will add to the growing evidence base that is spurring this nationwide, bipartisan movement for healthier school foods.