California’s new law will require Compton Unified to gradually phase out certain ultraprocessed and restricted school foods beginning in 2029. Familiar meals such as pizza or chicken nuggets are not automatically banned, but some products may need healthier ingredients or reformulation. CUSD’s partnership with Everytable and its move toward freshly prepared meals may give the district a valuable head start.

Compton Unified became Everytable’s first traditional public K–12 district partner, helping the company test a school-meal model that has since expanded across California. Beyond student nutrition, Compton should measure contract performance, costs, food waste, jobs, and supplier participation—and pursue production, distribution, training, and procurement opportunities so the city shares in the long-term economic value of the business model it helped launch.