November is a time to celebrate family, culture and traditions. Gathering around a shared table and exchanging stories is a perfect opportunity to highlight the role of nutrition in supporting health and learning. This month’s newsletter offers resources on food’s journey from farm to plate, new tools, leadership highlights and policy updates to inspire schools in the areas of nutrition and wellness.
Explore the newest episode of Let’s Eat Healthy Together, Season 2. “Food’s Adventure: Farm to You” highlights how food travels from farm to plate. Learn how California grows many of the foods we enjoy and produces more milk than any other state. Also discover simple ways to customize meals with cultural flavors from all food groups. Watch this episode and catch up on the new season here.
Introducing the School Nutrition Resource Hub! Explore practical tools and resources to enhance school nutrition programs and support student health and well-being—all in one easy-to-access location. Explore the hub here.
Also, discover a new resource from Fuel Up. Smart Swaps offers
sample menus, easy recipes and training materials to meet new nutrition standards.
Kirsten Criswell, a 2024 Let’s Eat Healthy Leadership Awardee, continues to exemplify leadership as coordinator of the annual School Wellness Summit.
This September marked the 12th summit, uniting wellness champions across the California Central Coast to share best practices and inspire healthier school environments. Our team led a session on integrating nutrition education throughout the school
year, showing how school wellness policy can come to life through classroom and district action. Dairy Council of CA is grateful for Kirsten Criswell’s continued partnership and outstanding leadership in advancing school wellness statewide.
Bring California’s original farm-to-school program to your school! Mobile Dairy Classroom engages students with
live or virtual lessons featuring a dairy cow, teaching how milk is produced and its role in a healthy diet. Register here.
Every November, National Diabetes Month raises awareness about diabetes and emphasizes the importance of healthy eating and active living in preventing and managing the disease. Yogurt has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use
a qualified health claim on package labels: “Eating yogurt regularly, at least 2 cups (3 servings) per week, may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes according to limited scientific evidence.” Read more here.
Dairy Farm Tour: Dairy Council of CA partnered with CSNA Mother Lode Chapter 45 to co-host a dairy farm tour at Tollcrest
Dairy. Attendees learned about animal welfare, sustainability and the science behind producing nutritious yogurt, cheese and cartons of milk for school meals. Speakers from the CA Wheat Commission, Future Farmers of America, and Wheatland Union High
School foodservice—joined by a culinary student—engaged in conversation on farm to school efforts and under-consumed recommended food groups like dairy and whole grains.
2025 Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo: Dairy Council of CA joined more than 8,000 dietitians and nutrition
professionals at this national conference and presented a poster on Well-Nourished, Brighter Futures: Dairy Dialogue: Visioning Equitable and Sustainable Solutions for School Meals and Student Success. The poster highlighted the convening of school
nutrition leaders that explored innovative meal ideas, student engagement, sustainability, comprehensive nutrition education and collaborative approaches to student wellness. Read more here.
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CSNA Annual Conference: Dairy Council of CA co-presented with school nutrition leaders on sessions addressing best practices on staff well-being, local
school wellness policy and youth engagement. Team members also shared resources to support healthy school environments and, together with the CA Beef Council, co-hosted Taste, Connect & Inspire: A Shared Table—a networking event
designed to foster collaboration and spark inspiration.
Gov. Newsom recently signed the Real Food, Healthy Kids Act (AB 1264), defining ultra-processed foods and setting a 2029 deadline for schools to phase out certain products. The definition excludes milk, minimally processed foods and locally produced items. The California Department of Public Health will further define specific foods of concern using peer-reviewed scientific evidence.
Join us live at this upcoming webinar:
CA LSWP Collaborative’s Winning at Wellness Webinar (Dec. 11 from 1:00 - 1:45 pm), focusing on practical strategies to strengthen wellness committees, engage new partners, and turn wellness goals
into meaningful action.
Have questions, ideas or want to collaborate?
Contact Maria Frye, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Community & School Engagement Project Manager,
at mfrye@dairycouncilofca.org.