Wild-caught salmon nuggets, red lentil falafel and whole grain banana pancakes are heading to Miami-Dade school cafeterias this fall. The district shared a behind-the-scenes look at its Test Kitchen on Aug. 4, showing the food and nutrition team prepping new items for the 2026-27 school year that were shaped by student feedback.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) Food and Nutrition Officer Angie Kasleikis confirmed several of the new dishes to WSVN 7News, including the salmon nuggets, a Louisiana chicken fillet and red lentil falafel with salad. "We make sure we focus on minimally processed items, so none of these foods contain food dyes or MSG or high-fructose corn syrup and other such ingredients," Kasleikis said.
The menu overhaul grew out of the district's Second Annual Food Show on March 6, where nearly 600 students and 60 food vendors gathered so kids could taste and evaluate potential offerings. Their preferences shaped what the nutrition team is now prepping for the Aug. 13 first day of school.
What Aventura Families Need to Know About Meal Costs
The new dishes arrive alongside a major policy shift: most M-DCPS schools no longer qualify for universal free meals under the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, a federal program that lets high-poverty schools serve free meals to all students. Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High and Aventura Waterways K-8 Center are both listed as non-CEP schools on the district's official roster, meaning families there must apply for free or reduced-price lunch.
At non-CEP high schools like Mourning, full-price breakfast costs $2.50 and lunch runs $4.20. Reduced-price meals drop to 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch. At non-CEP K-8 schools, breakfast remains free, but lunch is $4.20 full price or 40 cents reduced.
One cushion: All students at non-CEP schools will eat free for the first 30 days of the school year while eligibility is determined.
How Families Can Apply for Free or Reduced-Price Meals
The meal application opens Monday, Aug. 10, at mdcpsnutrition.net. One application covers an entire household. Families receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Medicaid, and those with children in foster care, Head Start or classified as homeless or migrant, are automatically approved regardless of school. For help, call 786-275-0400, ext. 5000.
Why the District Lost Its Districtwide Free Meal Status
Still, 121 district schools retain universal free meals under the Community Eligibility Provision. The district lost its districtwide qualification after the share of directly certified students fell from 64% four years ago to 45.1% this year, below the federal 62.5% threshold, according to WLRN.
Chief Operations Officer Luis Diaz said in a July 22 statement that the district's goal is "to protect families from any hardship while keeping free breakfast and lunch available to as many students as possible."
The first day of school for M-DCPS students is Thursday, Aug. 13.
