Food and Nutrition

Food and Nutrition Services Department

Good food helps fuel great learning—and every student deserves a healthy, delicious start to the day! School breakfast and lunch are permanently free for all Massachusetts students. Families can view the daily school breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack menus. Please note that PK and K students are served only unflavored fat-free (skim) or unflavored low-fat (1%) milk. 

SPS complies with the USDA Non-discrimination Statement. 

two students laugh while waiting for their school lunches

Student PIN

Students use a four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) to identify themselves when receiving lunch. At Somerville Public Schools, we maintain student confidentiality and never reveal whether a student’s meals are free, reduced-price, or paid. PINs also help our Food and Nutrition Services Department track meals for students with food allergies and ensure their safety. Because school meals are funded through both the federal government and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, keeping accurate records of meals served is also essential. Please ask your student for their PIN and, if they don’t know it, contact the Food and Nutrition Services Department so we can provide it.

Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application

Students eat for free in all Somerville Public Schools since December 2023. We still ask that some of our families fill out the free and reduced school meals application form so that they can access services through the schools, city, and state.

SPS and Allergies

The purpose of the student allergy management plan is to reduce the risk that a life-threatening allergic reaction occurs at school and to enable school staff to provide appropriate treatment if an allergic reaction does occur.  

No peanuts or tree nuts or products containing them are served in SPS cafeterias. However, students may bring them from home, so we cannot guarantee a nut-free cafeteria. 

Nine foods — peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, egg, wheat, fish, shellfish, and sesame — are the most common sources of serious allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), although any food has the potential to do so.

Approximately 4% of our students have been diagnosed with an allergy to one or more foods. Keeping these students safe requires a coordinated effort by all of us: parents/guardians; school nurses, teachers and staff; students, and the Food and Nutrition Services Department. 

It is the policy of the Somerville Public Schools that all children with a diagnosed life-threatening allergy have the following:

  • an up-to-date epinephrine auto-injector
  • an Allergy Action Plan / Epinephrine Order signed by a medical professional
  • a Medication Administration Plan signed by the parent and school nurse that includes a plan for field trips


If your student has an allergy to wheat, dairy, egg, or soy, please call your child’s school nurse.

Meal modifications may also be requested to accommodate other medical conditions and disabilities. Each request must include a note from a state-licensed healthcare professional documenting the medical condition and/or disability.

School Breakfasts and Lunches

The Food and Nutrition Services Department (FNSD) is committed to providing high quality, nutritious, and innovative meals for students and staff throughout the school year and the summer. The FNSD is continuously developing new recipes featuring fresh fruits and vegetables and making nutrition education a priority.

All food and beverage items sold through the a la carte programs meet the guidelines established by the Massachusetts Action for Healthy Kids.

All of the meals and snacks offered by the Food and Nutrition Services Department meet the nutritional and meal pattern requirements set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for participation in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. Visit the USDA website for more information.

Under the guidance of the USDA, FNSD offers meals that are complete and reimbursable.

A breakfast is complete and reimbursable when it includes three of five offered components: Grains, Meat/Meat Alternative, Dairy, Fruits, Vegetables. One component must be a Fruit.