Universal free meals receive wide support in Arizona

Serving universal free meals at school in Arizona is supported by school nutrition professionals, parents and community members, a study by Arizona State University shows.

The study included responses from 3,685 school staff, parents and those in the community. Most respondents were parents (64%), followed by school staff (34%) and community members (2%). They also hailed from a wide variety of political parties with 6.6% identifying as very conservative, 12.2% as somewhat conservative, 30.8% as middle of the road, 19.4% as somewhat liberal, 17.9% as very liberal and 13.2% as not sure what their political affiliation was. In addition, just under half of the respondents identified as non-Hispanic White (44%) and 43% identified as Hispanic.

Thirty-one percent of respondents reported having an annual income of less than $34,999, 30% reported having an annual income between $35,000 and $64,999, 20% reported having an income between $65,000 to $99,999 and 19% reported having an income higher than $100,000.

Here are six things to know from the report.

Most respondents view school meals favorably  

Eighty-five percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that meals at school reduced stress and saved time for families in packing meals. A majority (80%) also agreed or strongly agreed that meals at school save families money and 76% agreed or strongly agreed that meals at school benefitted students academically. Just over half (57%), said that they agreed that school meals provide nutritious, well-balanced meals.

Saving time and money were the most common reasons families opted for school meals

A majority of parents who responded to the survey reported that they had their children participate in school meals to save them time (59%) or money (58%). Families who had a higher income were more likely to report that they participated in school meals due to the time saved, while families with lower income and lower levels of education were more likely to select the cost savings as the reason why their children ate meals at school.

In addition, 52% of parents said their children participated in school breakfast and lunch due to them liking the meals.

Students not liking the food was the most common reason why families opted-out of school meals

For parents whose children did not participate in school meals, just under half (46%) reported that their children not liking the taste of the food offered as to why they did not participate. In addition, 21% reported that they were concerned about the healthfulness of school meals as the reason why their children didn’t participate. Other reasons reported by parents as to why their child did not participate include the high cost of the meals when not served for free (18%), the child not having enough time to sit down and finish their meal (15%) and challenges with completing free or reduced-price school meal applications (13%).

Increased meal participation listed as top benefit of offering free meals by school food professionals

During COVID-19, schools across the country were able to serve meals at no charge to all students thanks to a series of waivers administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The waivers expired in June 2022 and many school nutrition programs had to revert to charging for meals again.

A majority of foodservice professionals who responded to the survey listed increased participation as a benefit of offering free meals to all students during COVID-19.

Other benefits reported include reduced stigma for students (44%) and reduced un-paid meal debt (61%).

Labor and waste are concerns associated with universal free meals

Food service professionals who responded did list some concerns related to meal production if universal free meals were offered.

The top concern reported was staffing challenges (51% said it was a moderate or significant concern) followed by food packing waste (44% said it was a moderate or significant concern).

A majority of respondents support universal free meals at school

When asked what the best approach was to providing school meals in the future, a majority of respondents (79%) listed offering meals at no charge to all students who want them, followed by 17% of respondents saying that they would like to have eligibility criteria changed so more students could participate in free meals at school.

In addition, an overwhelming majority of respondents (90%) reported that they support legislation to permanently offer free meals at school for all students in Arizona. The support for passing this legislation was consistent across political affiliations. Eighty-eight percent of conservatives and 96% of liberals listed that they supported the proposed legislation.

The top reason for offering universal free meals at school listed by respondents was reducing child hunger (87%) followed by reduced shame and stigma in the cafeteria (59%), cost-savings for low-income families (57%) and improved academic achievement (43%).