In Eating to Learn, Learning to Eat , historian A. R. Ruis explores the origins of American school meal initiatives to explain why it was (and, to some extent, has continued to be) so difficult to ...establish meal programs that satisfy the often competing interests of children, parents, schools, health authorities, politicians, and the food industry. Through careful studies of several key contexts and detailed analysis of the policies and politics that governed the creation of school meal programs, Ruis demonstrates how the early history of school meal program development helps us understand contemporary debates over changes to school lunch policies.    
The Role of School Meal Service Programs YOON, Jihyun; NOZUE, Miho
Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology,
2022/11/30, 2022-11-30, Volume:
68, Issue:
Supplement
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
One in every two school children, or 388 million children from all income levels, receives school meals every day in at least 161 countries. However, school meals are not uniform. It means the ...contents, timing, and method of offering are different across countries. School feeding has consequences for at least four different sectors. First is social protection as a social safety net to benefit the most vulnerable. Second is education. Sometimes school meals motivate parents to allow their children to attend school, especially in developing countries. Moreover, children who are fed well can concentrate on their studies. Third is agriculture. It promotes sustainable local markets by using the ingredients from the local area in school meals. Finally, school meals contribute toward the health and nutrition of present and prospective children. Nowadays, approximately 80% of countries have a school feeding policy. However, feeding policies differ across countries in respect of the government organization in charge and the order of priority in that country. This symposium provides background information, current situation, and quality improvement of school meals in four Asian countries and the US. We hope that this symposium is useful to learn about the current situation of school meals in various countries and to acquire ideas to improve them in your own country and the world.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Congress authorized the US Department of Agriculture to waive a variety of school meal regulations and funded school meals daily for all students at no ...charge regardless of family income. Because federal Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) ended with the 2021-2022 school year, several states, including California and Maine, adopted state-level UFSM policies.
This study aimed to understand parent perceptions of school meals and the federal and new state UFSM policies in California and Maine, including potential challenges and benefits to students and households.
A mixed methods study design was used. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was administered, and semi-structured interviews were conducted in English and Spanish during the 2021-2022 school year.
The quantitative survey was administered to parents of students in elementary, middle, and high schools in rural, suburban, and urban communities in California (n = 1110) and Maine (n = 80). Qualitative interviews were then conducted with a subset of these parents in California (n = 46) and Maine (n = 20) using Zoom (Zoom Video Communications). Most survey participants (708 of 1190 59.5%) and interviewees (40 of 66 60.6%) were parents of students who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Parents’ perceptions of UFSM, school meal quality, and experiences applying for free or reduced-price meals were examined.
Tests of proportions were used to analyze survey data. Using grounded theory, interview transcripts were analyzed qualitatively by 2 trained research assistants, applying principles of content analysis to identify themes and domains. Inter-rater reliability was conducted.
Parents perceived that school meals and UFSM saved families money and time, as parents had fewer meals to purchase and prepare for their children. In addition, UFSM reduced parents’ stress and reduced stigma for children and for parents, who described feelings of embarrassment when they previously filled out paperwork for free or reduced-price meals. Although parent perceptions of school meal quality and healthfulness were mixed, most parents reported feeling grateful for school meals.
Parents had mixed opinions on the quality and healthfulness of school meals, but believed UFSM saved them money and time and reduced their stress. Parents also felt UFSM reduced stigma for families.
AbstractObjectiveTo determine barriers, motivators, and perspectives regarding plate waste reduction of early adolescents. DesignTrained interviewers conducted audio-recorded individual interviews ...with adolescents. SettingElementary schools implementing the National School Lunch Program in Hawai‘i, Montana, and Virginia. ParticipantsEarly adolescents (n = 47, aged 9–13 years) from families receiving or eligible to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were recruited to participate. Phenomenon of InterestFactors influencing plate waste among adolescents and potential plate waste reduction strategies. AnalysisCoders analyzed content and thematic data to identify code categories and themes. ResultsMain barriers to reducing school lunch plate waste were unsupportive school policy, undesirable food quality, satiation, and social influences. Key motivators to reducing school lunch plate waste were supportive school policy, including allowing students to share food with peers and save food to eat later; and social influences. Participants found it acceptable to throw away disliked food and unacceptable to throw away wanted food; they perceived that their peers did not care whether food was thrown away; and they thought their parents disliked wasting food. Conclusion and ImplicationsResults suggest that several factors might allow for minimization of school lunch plate waste in the National School Lunch Program, including improvements in food quality, food policy, and social influences. Under these important themes, strategies to employ may include improving food preparation and taste, allocating more time for students to finish lunch, allowing students to self-select food lunch items, and permitting them to share and save their leftover food.
Cumulative evidence shows that people with lower socioeconomic status (SES) have higher risk of mortality and non-communicable diseases, which are strongly related to diet. A low diet quality may be ...related to a rise in chronic non-communicable diseases from childhood onward. This literature review summarizes the food assistance for reducing health disparities among children in Japan. The school lunch program in Japan is important for achieving adequate nutrient intakes in schoolchildren and reducing disparities of adequate nutrient intake by household income levels. Additionally, the number of children’s cafeterias, contributing to the support of children suffering from poverty by providing free or low-cost meals in a comfortable environment, as well as being bases for multi-generational community communication, and where local children and adults eat together, has rapidly increased. Those who with lower SES tended to use food supports, such as the children’s cafeteria, as well as food pantries and emergency home food deliveries, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be necessary to establish a public-private system that can provide information on local food assistance to people whose socioeconomic status has changed rapidly.
Objective: We aimed to reveal the nutritional issues of Guatemalan school children (SC) by comparing anthropometric data and school lunch (SL) history in Guatemala with those in Japan and discuss the ...role of SL in improving Guatemalan SC's nutritional status.Methods: We compared the height and weight data collected in 2017 of 3,282 Guatemalan SC living in S city and Japanese SC based on school-health statistics. Information regarding SL history and lunch menus in both countries was collected through a literature review and field research in Guatemala. Nutrient values of SLs were calculated by estimating the kind and weight of ingredients using photographs.Results and Discussion: The mean values of height and weight of Guatemalan SC (6~12 years) were lower than those of Japanese SC in 2017. Interestingly, the height (in 2017) of the Guatemalan SC was like that of the Japanese SC (in 1948), when the Japanese were facing severe malnutrition. Although Japanese SL has been served as lunch without fail until now, Guatemalan SL has been served as snacks intermittently. In Japan, the concept of SL was initiated in 1947, and the School Lunch Act was enacted seven years later; while it took 58 years in Guatemala.Conclusion: Although 60 years have passed since SL began, Guatemalan SC have not only experienced malnutrition but stunted growth. In Japan, SL is contributing to improving nutritional conditions and constitution among SC. The continuous provision of nutritious SL in accordance with the Law may be necessary to improve the nutritional and anthropometric status of Guatemalan SC.
Implementation of updated nutrition standards for school meals began during school year (SY) 2012-2013. The standards were designed to improve the nutritional quality of the meals and their ...consistency with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
To assess the nutritional quality of school lunches and breakfasts after the updated standards were in place and compare it with the nutritional quality of the meals before the updated standards.
School menu data were used from two cross-sectional, nationally representative studies of schools participating in the National School Lunch Program during SY 2014-2015 (School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study) and SY 2009-2010 (fourth School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study).
The analysis used 1 week of school menu data from 1,206 schools at lunch and 1,110 schools at breakfast for SY 2014-2015, and 884 schools at lunch and 802 schools at breakfast for SY 2009-2010.
Healthy Eating Index 2010 scores were estimated.
Descriptive analyses were conducted to estimate mean Healthy Eating Index 2010 total and component scores for school meals. Scores are expressed as a percentage of maximum possible scores. Two-tailed t tests were used to assess differences in scores before and after updated standards were in place.
Total Healthy Eating Index 2010 scores for school lunches and breakfasts increased significantly after the updated standards. Between SY 2009-2010 and SY 2014-2015, the total score for school lunches increased from 58% of the maximum score to 82%, and the total score for school breakfasts increased from 50% to 71% (P<0.05). For both meals, component scores increased by more than 20 percentage points for whole grains, refined grains, and empty calories, as well as for greens and beans for lunches and whole fruit and sodium for breakfasts.
The updated nutrition standards for schools meals significantly improved the nutritional quality of the meals and their consistency with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
In this study, questionnaire surveys were used in order to understand the actual situation of school lunch guidance and the thoughts of teachers, and the relationships between teachers' thoughts ...and the implementation of school lunch instruction (SLI). In 2017, questionnaire surveys were conducted at four elementary schools in Saitama Prefecture. Responses were received from 106 teachers. More than 80％ of teachers provided SLI on cleaning up, feelings of gratitude, table manners, and overcoming food dislikes. A multiple linear regression was calculated to predict the SLI score based on students' interest in their school lunch, their SLI content comprehension, their actual condition recognition, and their school year (R＝0.623, p＜0.001). The SLI content comprehension score was a significant predictor for conducting SLI (p＜0.001). In the free-description section, there were many comments concerning instruction on overcoming food dislikes. Through the study, the need to analyze and develop ingenuity and teaching practices and advance a teaching theory for SLI became apparent. The need to build a system in which teachers can learn this theory through teacher training courses also became apparent.
Previous studies document decreases in lunchtime milk consumption immediately after flavored milk is removed. Less is known about longer-term effects.
Plain milk selection and consumption were ...measured the first year flavored milk was removed in a school district (2010 to 2011 Time 1) and 2 years later (2012 to 2013 Time 2). Four behavioral economic interventions to promote milk were tested in one school at Time 2.
This was a longitudinal, observational study.
Participants were kindergarten through grade 8 students in two schools in an urban district. Primary data were collected 10 times per school year at Time 1 and Time 2, yielding 40 days of data and 13,883 student observations. The milk promotion interventions were tested on 6 additional days.
Outcomes were the percentage of students selecting milk at lunch, the ounces of milk consumed per carton, and the ounces of milk consumed school-wide per student.
Logistic regressions were used to assess how sex, grade, time, availability of 100% juice, and behavioral interventions affected milk selection and consumption.
At Time One, 51.5% of students selected milk and drank 4 oz (standard deviation=3.2 oz) per carton, indicating school-wide per-student consumption of 2.1 oz (standard deviation=3.0 oz). At Time Two, 72% of students selected milk and consumed 3.4 oz per carton (standard deviation=3.2 oz), significantly increasing the school-wide per-student consumption to 2.5 oz (standard deviation=3.1 oz). Older students and boys consumed significantly more milk. Availability of 100% fruit juice was associated with a 16–percentage point decrease in milk selection. None of the behavioral economic interventions significantly influenced selection.
These data suggest that after flavored milk is removed from school cafeterias, school-wide per-student consumption of plain milk increases over time. In addition, the presence of 100% juice is associated with lower milk selection.
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