If you think that America’s children are still being served mystery meat for lunch at school, it’s time to take another look. Personally, I'm fed up with reports that ignore the real food revolution in school breakfast and lunch. It's as if these folks have never heard about the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, the six states where nearly 100 percent of districts already met the new meal standards, and the hundreds of school culinary boot camps.

Where have these school lunch critics been? Clearly not dining in the districts that are featuring produce from schools gardens – and school farms. That's right: Denver (CO) Public Schools is one of several districts with real farms on and off school property. There are initiatives in every state connecting local farmers and ranchers to schools. What's really happening in school lunch is that the nearly 32 million students who eat it daily are getting an incredible variety of often local, increasingly organic produce, lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. According to the savvy school nutrition directors who observe their customers closely, they are eating it all up! Here's a small taste of the real transformation in school nutrition programs.

Going Greek: Thanks to an innovative USDA pilot in four states (AZ, ID, NY and TN) this fall, more districts have been able to offer the hottest dairy trend – authentic Greek Yogurt made with only natural ingredients. In the Rush-Henrietta Central School District in Henrietta (NY), students have a delicious lunch option: Greek Yogurt cup, plus a low-fat cheese stick, whole grain roll or crackers, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. In addition to being on trend, strained Greek Yogurt provides more protein than regular unstrained yogurt and its creamy texture is perfect for parfaits and smoothies. Learn more about this pilot program and help make Greek Yogurt an affordable option for all schools at Go Greek in School.

Going Green: Schools from coast-to-coast are going green, both with more dark green veggies and more environmentally-friendly practices like school garden compost bins. To celebrate National Kale Day (October, 2, 2013) in Missoula County Public Schools, Montana, Food and Nutrition Assistant Supervisor Ed Christensen offered baked kale chips to every student in the district – a total of 8,000! While not shy about saying his kale chips are "the best," Ed was impressed by how much the kids liked them. Some adventurous students sprinkled them on top of their made-from-scratch, whole-grain pizza. Districts are also going eco-green by changing more than the food. Compostable plates are the first initiative on the Urban School Food Alliance’s green checklist, a massive effort by six big-city school systems to create a market for sustainable food and lunchroom supplies.

Going Local: The 2014 USDA Farm to School (F2S) census revealed that more than $354 million school food dollars are invested in local purchases. While fruits and veggies are the bulk of most F2S programs, local meats are gaining in popularity. To celebrate October as National Farm to School Month, RSU #14, Windham-Raymond (ME), served burgers made from local, grass-fed beef with baked Maine potato wedges and crisp Maine apples. Thanks to Nutrition Services director Tyler Goodwin, students in another Maine district, Wells-Ogunquit Community School District, have a personal relationship food on their lunch trays. It comes from the Spiller Farm, just two miles down the road and students help to pick it, clean it and prepare it. During September 2013 trips to the farm, hundreds of school kids picked 15 bushels (450 pounds) of green beans, 18 bushels (900 pounds) of red potatoes and 15 bushels (720 pounds) of apples (enough to supply the entire district for the next several months).

Going Global: Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, a large suburban Houston (TX) district, serves on-trend grab-and-go salads with hummus, black beans, chicken, tuna, cheese and sunflower seeds, as well as the trending-again, high-protein, hard-cooked egg. The versatile egg is also showing up in ethnic food concepts like build-your-own noodle bars. At Newton North High School, Newton (MA), students can personalize a bowl of whole grain noodles and authentic Asian broth with everything from egg strips, roasted tofu and grilled chicken to edamame, kimchi and pickled ginger. Talk about global, trendy and super popular with foodie teens!