It seems there’s an app for everything these days – and a school lunch program is no exception. The San Francisco Unified School District is using such technology to boost healthier food choices and create less waste in the cafeteria. Researchers at the University of California are evaluating the program, which is funded by a USDA childhood obesity prevention grant.

"It’s all about you feeling like you have a choice in the matter – that you’re guided by messages that actually really ring true for you."

That’s study leader Kristine Madsen of the UC Berkeley-UC San Francisco Joint Medical Program, who says the Future Dining Experience really takes the students into account. In a pilot school, they had input in the design the cafeteria, and soon will participate in a smart meal app.

"What if you could preorder on that app? What if you could actually go through an express line and pick up your food? What if, ultimately, you could vote on the food and change what’s on the menu? So, student center design that they get to say “these are messages that make sense to us."