Rural North Dakota Schools to Receive Cafeteria Makeovers

State program using federal funds to improve food offerings and nutrition education

Feb. 6, 2026 at 7:31pm

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Rural North Dakota schools will see changes to their cafeteria offerings and food education programs as part of the state's Rural Health Transformation Program. The program is using $200 million in federal funding from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to reform cafeterias and promote healthier habits among students and parents.

Why it matters

This initiative aims to address chronic disease and mental health issues in North Dakota by instilling healthy eating habits early on. Improving the nutritional quality of school meals and providing formal education on nutrition and wellness is expected to have long-term benefits for the state's public health.

The details

The 'North Dakota Moves Together' campaign will use the federal funding to upgrade cafeteria offerings and implement new food education programs in rural schools across the state. Health and Human Services interim Commissioner Pat Traynor says the goal is to 'lessen chronic disease for North Dakotans' by ensuring healthy choices become 'habit formations' starting in childhood.

  • The $200 million in federal funding was received by North Dakota in early 2026.

The players

Pat Traynor

The interim Commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, overseeing the Rural Health Transformation Program.

Ryan McNamara

A reporter for WDAY who covered the story on the cafeteria reforms in rural North Dakota schools.

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What they’re saying

“If we have the healthy choices being our habit formations with child care and schools, we really will see chronic disease go down immensely, and the mental health crisis immensely.”

— Pat Traynor, Interim Commissioner, North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services

What’s next

The state plans to roll out the cafeteria upgrades and nutrition education programs in rural schools across North Dakota over the next two years.

The takeaway

This initiative demonstrates North Dakota's proactive approach to addressing public health challenges by investing in the nutritional well-being of students in rural communities, which could have far-reaching impacts on chronic disease and mental health outcomes in the state.