A new Child Nourish Lab research brief examines how often California schools serve scratch-cooked, quick-preparation, and convenience foods. School meals provide a major source of daily nutrition for children and have become healthier since the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. However, there are no regulations governing food processing for school foods, which has recently raised concerns. In 2023, NPI surveyed 430 California School Food Authorities as part of a national study to assess school meal preparation practices. Most California school food authorities reported regularly serving convenience and/or quick preparation foods, while only about one in five served scratch-cooked and minimally processed meals daily, and just 5% did so exclusively. Many school food authorities reported barriers such as inadequate funding, staffing, and kitchen infrastructure, while those receiving federal grants for local food purchasing or equipment were more likely to offer minimally processed foods. Findings suggest that additional resources may be needed to help schools serve more scratch-cooked and minimally processed foods that optimally support student nutrition and health. This analysis was conducted by Juliana Cohen, Leah Chapman, Maria Gombi-Vaca, and Marlene Schwartz in collaboration with Nutrition Policy Institute researchers Christina Hecht, Ken Hecht, Monica Zuercher, Lorrene Ritchie, and Wendi Gosliner, with funding from the state of California through CA SB 170, CA SB 154, and CA SB 101.