A new study showed statewide School Meals for All policies are associated with lower prevalence of household food insecurity, particularly among families with lower incomes. Researchers surveyed 3,377 caregivers of school-aged children from eight states—four with universal school meal policies including California, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont, and four without including Arizona, Illinois, New Hampshire and Texas—about their household food insecurity in spring and summer 2023. Households in states with School Meals for All policies had a 12% lower prevalence of food insecurity than those in states without these policies. The association was more pronounced, with a 19% lower prevalence, in households with income below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level ($41,800 dollars for a family of 4), who were already eligible for free meals through the federal National School Lunch and Breakfast programs. Those who were near eligibility for free or reduced price meals, with household incomes between 185% below and 300% of the federal poverty level ($59,478 to $96,450 for a family of 4), had a 18% lower prevalence of household food insecurity. This study supports the case for expanding School Meals for All policies as a strategy for reducing food insecurity among families with school-aged children. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, was conducted by researchers from the Nutrition Policy Institute, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health at the University of Connecticut, Stanford University, University of New England, Merrimack College, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study was funded by California General Fund SB 170. Learn more about Nutrition Policy Institute's School Meals for All research.
