Life Time Foundation Empowers Schools to Serve Healthier Meals with Complimentary Green Onion Online Tool
Unique solution provides schools a simple path to choose the alternative, cleaner ingredients students deserve
CHANHASSEN, Minn., Sept. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With more attention than ever being placed on the ingredients in school meals, the Life Time Foundation continues its nearly-15-year-dedication to youth nutrition by supporting school food professionals in their efforts to eliminate ultra-processed foods. One of its most impactful resources, Green Onion – a free, online tool – has become a valuable resource for schools nationwide that are diligently working to improve the nutritional integrity of their meals.
Green Onion is the only software that examines K-12 school foods at the ingredient level, going beyond the minimum information required on products' Nutrition Facts panels to deliver a comprehensive analysis of the ingredients in the foods students consume.
Since its launch, Green Onion has connected hundreds of districts with better food alternatives, along with support from a Registered Dietitian. The tool identifies ingredients of concern based on the science-backed Ingredient Guide for Better School Food Purchasing and proposes healthier alternatives. The platform is consistently updated with real-time food product data directly from K-12 food manufacturers via 1WorldSync by Syndigo – a trusted network for sharing accurate product information.
"Green Onion is a game-changer for schools looking to provide high-quality, clean-label products for students," said Nicole Bonica, Registered Dietitian and Menu Coordinator for New York City Public Schools – the largest school district in the nation. "The user-friendly design makes it effortless to identify ingredients of concern, ensuring students get the best food possible. From sourcing clean-label pickles to veggie burgers, Green Onion's search tool makes the process smooth, fast, and stress-free."
At the same time schools can use the tool to track their progress towards the elimination of unwanted ingredients, K-12 food manufacturers and purchasing cooperatives also benefit by sharing their product information, ensuring schools have access to up-to-date information.
"Green Onion is one of the most practical, easy to use, impactful tools for improving school food that I have seen in my 36-year career in school nutrition," said Dr. Katie Wilson, Executive Director of the Urban School Food Alliance, an organization committed to changing school food systems through best practice sharing, procurement, and advocacy. "Being able to quickly and efficiently evaluate products in the school marketplace is beneficial and offering immediate alternatives to those products that contain less harmful ingredients is what makes Green Onion unique and an indispensable tool for every school nutrition program across the country."
Green Onion currently serves more than 2.3 million students in 12 states and continues to expand in collaboration with Eliassen Group, whose technical expertise and shared commitment to healthier school meals remain central to the tool's mission and impact.
School districts and school food professionals interested in creating a free Green Onion account may learn more and get started on Life Time Foundation website. To publish product information on Green Onion, manufacturers should visit the 1WorldSync website.
About Life Time Foundation
Life Time Foundation, a 501c(3) nonprofit created by Life Time, Inc. (NYSE: LTH) is dedicated to inspiring Healthy People, a Healthy Planet, and a Healthy Way of Life. Through financial grants and direct action, we support Youth Nutrition by helping schools serve wholesome, nourishing, minimally processed food to students; Youth Movement by championing physical movement programs that get children active and excited to move for life; and a Healthy Planet by supporting forestation and conservation initiatives, so everyone can live healthy, happy lives. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.ltfoundation.org.
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SOURCE Life Time Foundation