MEALS
The Board of Education recognizes the important connection between a healthy diet and a student’s ability to learn effectively and achieve high standards in school.
BREAKFAST
Berkeley offers free breakfast to all students.
All students may eat a free nutritious breakfast every day as part of the Universal Breakfast Program. Teachers do begin instruction during breakfast time, so regardless of whether or not your child chooses to eat Universal Breakfast, it is important that your child arrive to school on time at 8:10 a.m. Breakfast items include fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, and a muffin or bread.
LUNCH
MX asks all families to apply for free/reduced price lunch online at https://secure.ezmealapp.com, regardless of income. Even if you don’t intend to use the free lunch program, every qualified application brings funding to our schools. For help, call the Office of Family Equity and Engagement at 644-8991.
Berkeley offers free lunch to all students.
Berkeley Unified has a School Lunch Initiative (SLI), which has two goals: to serve more nutritious and delicious, freshly prepared meals using locally grown food to all of our students, and to educate children in kitchen, garden and academic classrooms about their food choices and the impact those choices have on their health, the community and the environment.
LUNCH FROM HOME
If your child brings a lunch from home, please pack nutritious foods in a lunch box or sturdy bag—strive for a zero-waste lunch with reusable, recyclable, or compost degradable packaging. Please also pack a reusable water bottle, if you have one. Backpacks are not allowed in the cafeteria or out on the playground during lunchtime.
We want to encourage all students to develop healthy eating habits. As part of our schoolwide rules and BUSD nutrition guidelines candy, chips, soda, and gum are not allowed at school.
LUNCH MENU
GREEN WASTE
MX has green waste bins and recycling set up in the cafeteria so that students can separate their trash and food waste when they are finished eating. Students learn how to separate their trash and can volunteer to help with recycling. By “going green” we aim to reduce the amount of cafeteria waste that once ended up in landfills. You can help too - when sending lunch from home, strive for a zero-waste lunch with reusable, recyclable, or compost degradable packaging.
