Faced with growing food shortages and economic uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic, many states offered a single free school meal to all students for a limited time. With federal pandemic benefits now gone, dozens of states like Hawaii, Pennsylvania and Ohio have either passed laws or are considering revising their state budgets to keep meals — or at least lunches — free for all students, regardless of household income.
While free school meals help more children eat lunch and breakfast, they may provide only modest health and educational benefits to children, according to a new study examining free school meal programs across the United States. As more states consider implementing universal free school meal (UFSM) programs indefinitely, reporting on these impacts is critical to making informed decisions about students’ health and education.
A closer look at the research
The study, published in JAMA, examined information from over 11,000 schools with free school meals for all and found that students there eat more often, especially at lunchtime, than in schools without free meals for all. However, the study also found that there is no strong evidence that school meals improve school attendance or reduce obesity rates. There were slight improvements in school attendance at some schools and there was some evidence that fewer students were overweight, but the reliability of these findings was low.
According to the USDA Economic Research Service, in states where schools stopped offering free meals to all students in the 2022-2023 school year after federal benefits ended, more children struggled to get enough to eat than in states that maintained free meals. Specifically, 1.5% more children experienced food insecurity in states without free school meals.
Several states are already fully implementing UFSMs, offering free meals to all students regardless of their eligibility under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP): California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont.
Will other countries follow this example?
Although there is public support for free school meals, report on why some states do not implement universal free school meals. Implementing free school meals requires significant resources. States may be concerned about the additional spending required to provide free meals to all students, which could impact budgets for other educational needs or services.
Lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) first introduced a federal bill in 2021 to establish a universal school lunch program in all states. Some supporters say the bill could gain momentum under a Harris-Walz administration, since Gov. Tim Walz, a former elementary school teacher, signed a bill for free school meals in Minnesota.
There is also uncertainty about the overall economic impact of free school meals. Some states may be concerned about the impact of these programs on local economies, particularly if they are based on existing systems that charge for meals.
Moving to a universal system could also bring logistical and administrative changes. Schools may need to adapt their food preparation and distribution processes, which can be daunting and resource-intensive. One small study suggests that the quality of food may decline in schools that offer free meals to all students.
Despite the cost and implementation challenges, UFSMs have been shown to increase participation in school feeding programs and ensure that more students receive nutritious meals, which is critical for their health and learning.
Proponents of this policy say that providing free school meals to all students helps reduce stigma and ensures that all children, regardless of their family’s income, have access to healthy food. This can lead to better health outcomes and promote educational equity. Although the evidence is inconclusive, some studies suggest that free school meals for all can lead to modest improvements in attendance and reductions in obesity and expulsion rates. This suggests that providing universal access to meals can contribute to more positive school environments and better student achievement.
