Food insufficiency among children lower in states that implemented universal free school meal programs

States that continued to offer free school meals to all students after the expiration of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Waivers (USDA) child nutrition waivers saw reduced food insufficiency among children compared to states that stopped offering universal free school meals, according to a new study by the USDA’s Economic Research Service.

During the height of the pandemic, schools across the country were feeding all students at no charge thanks to a series waivers issued by the USDA. Those waivers expired in June 2022, and while many schools had to revert to charging students for meals during the 2022-2023 school year, schools in some states were able to continue offering free meals to all students due to their state governments passing legislation that included funding to continue offering the free meals.

The study used data from the USDA’s Household Pulse Survey collected from December 29,2021 through November 14, 2022, to compare rates of food insufficiency, which is defined as sometimes or often not having enough to eat, among children ages 5-17 in states that continued offering universal free school meals during the 2022-23 school year and those that did not.

It found that rates of food insufficiency among children was 1.5% higher during the 2022-23 school year in states that began charging for meals again compared to those that continued offering school meals to all students at no charge.

This is the latest study showing how the loss of the USDA waivers, and therefore, the loss of universal free meals, impacted school nutrition programs and child food security. An additional study by the USDA found that the waivers reduced school meal barriers and increased school meal participation.

A similar study by the Food Research and Action Center also found that school breakfast and lunch participation dropped following the loss of universal free school meals during the pandemic.

School nutrition professionals have long advocated for offering free school meals to all students. The School Nutrition Association (SNA) has pushed for universal free school meal access in its annual Position Paper over the past couple of years.

An SNA study released earlier this year which included survey responses from school nutrition operators found that school nutrition programs who offer free meals to all students experience a number of benefits.

A majority (87.4%) of survey respondents, for example, reported free meal service increased school meal participation and 66.2% of respondents noted a more positive social-emotional cafeteria environment when they began offering free meals to all students.

Survey respondents who charged for meals experienced a handful of challenges, however, including unpaid meal debt and issues with getting families to fill out free and reduced-price meal application forms.

In addition to school nutrition operators, food industry leaders have come out in support of free meals for all as well. At the White House’s Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in September 2022, celebrity chef and World Central Kitchen Founder José Andrés called for the expansion of free school meal access during his keynote speech, saying that schools could “improve the food health of our entire country.”

Currently, nine states offer universal free school meal programs. See what states currently offer universal free meals using the map below: