You’ve probably heard the phrase, competition drives innovation. And while that can sometimes be true, it’s not enough to solve the complex, interconnected challenges facing our food and agriculture systems today.
Across the country, organizations are working to address urgent issues like climate change, soil health, antibiotic resistance, and food access. But too often, these efforts happen in parallel rather than in partnership.
Real progress requires something more: collaboration across sectors, even among organizations that don’t always work side by side.
I’ve seen this firsthand while working on an issue that affects millions of families every day: school meals.
Today, nearly 30 million children rely on the National School Lunch Program, making school cafeterias one of the largest restaurant chains in the United States.
And yet, what many people don’t realize is that there are still no meaningful national quality standards for the meat and seafood served in these meals. As a result, products made with routine antibiotics and fillers can still end up on children’s trays across the country.
When our team at ButcherBox first encountered this reality, we knew we wanted to be part of the solution. As a company committed to improving the quality of meat and seafood, we believe all families—and especially children—deserve access to better food.
But we also knew this was not a challenge any one company could take on alone.
So instead of starting from scratch, we began reaching out. We connected with partners, peers from the Food Tank Chief Sustainability Officer Working Group, and leaders already doing important work in school food, including the Chef Ann Foundation and Perdue Farms.
Perdue, for example, transitioned 100 percent of its chicken products to “No Antibiotics Ever” in 2017—demonstrating that large-scale change is possible.
Together, we began building a broader coalition focused on a shared goal: improving the quality of protein served in school meals.
As part of this effort, ButcherBox launched an open letter calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish clearer standards for meat and seafood used in the National School Lunch Program, including prohibiting the use of routine antibiotics. We invited companies, nonprofits, academic institutions, and restaurants to join us and many have.
At the same time, we launched a Change.org petition to elevate the voices of families. More than 24,000 people have already signed on, signaling strong public support for change.
This growing coalition reflects something important about our food system: while organizations may operate in different spaces, they share a responsibility to improve the system we all depend on.
The National School Lunch Program is one of the largest institutional food programs in the country. Changes to its procurement standards could influence supply chains, farming practices, and public health outcomes at a national scale.
“Perdue is an example of how a large-scale player can drive meaningful change,” says Lance Price, Professor at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health and Founding Director of the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center, which also signed the open letter. “By being the first to eliminate antibiotics, they didn’t just change their business model, they challenged the entire food system to step up.”
Of course, collaboration across sectors is not always easy. But when diverse perspectives come together around a shared goal, they can lead to solutions that are stronger, more inclusive, and more lasting.
“Improving the quality of proteins served in school lunches and helping ensure the health and wellbeing of the next generation requires advocacy and cooperation from across the industry,” says Allie O’Brien, Marketing Officer at Little Sesame. “We’re proud to partner with businesses, nonprofits, and leaders pushing for better standards.”
What’s emerging is a different kind of approach—one rooted in shared responsibility and a recognition that meaningful change doesn’t happen in isolation.
The work to improve school meal standards is ongoing, but this effort offers a hopeful example of what’s possible when organizations come together with a common purpose.
Because when we align around the goal of nourishing the next generation, the impact can extend far beyond a single initiative. It can help reshape the systems that determine what ends up on our plates—and on our children’s trays.
