Why are school lunches bad?

Physically unhealthy children There’s no doubt that any food is better than no food. But studies have shown that students who regularly eat hot lunches are more likely to be overweight and obese as opposed to kids who bring their lunches. And poor nutrition can cause cognitive delays in children.

What are the benefits of school lunch?

School lunch is critical to student health and well-being, especially for low-income students—and ensures that students have nutrition they need throughout the day to learn. Research shows that receiving free or reduced-price school lunches reduces food insecurity, obesity rates, and poor health.

What are the proven outcomes of the national school lunch program?

The study of nearly 2,700 NSLP children found that the NSLP reduces the prevalence of food insecurity by 3.8 percent, poor general health by 29 percent, and the rate of obesity by at least 17 percent in its participants.

How is school food bad for you?

Obesity, diabetes and even preliminary high blood pressure and eventual heart problems can begin with poor nutrition in schools. Additionally, kids eating high-fat, low-nutrition foods are more likely to perform less effectively on academic work at school.

Is the national school lunch program successful?

On average, the NSLP provided low-cost or free lunches to 29.6 million children each school day in fiscal year (FY) 2019, at a total cost of $14.2 billion. Overall, about 3.2 billion meals were served through the NSLP or SSO, 33.4 percent fewer than in FY 2019.

How did the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act change school lunch?

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act changed nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program by requiring that schools serve more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free and/or low-fat milk more frequently and less starchy vegetables or foods high in sodium and trans fat.

What happened to school lunches in New York?

Take the Burnt-Hills Ballston Lake school district in upstate New York, which dropped the program this summer. Ninety six percent of students are white, and only nine percent qualify for free or reduced lunch. The Laguna Beach Unified School District in Los Angeles, which also quit serving the lunches starting this fall, also lacks diversity.

Why are school lunches being dropped in California?

Districts in states including California, New York and Texas have dropped the program because their students simply weren’t eating the healthier foods and they were losing money on the lunches. Individual students have also protested the lunches.

Does the National School lunch program improve nutritional quality?

“The evidence suggests that the policy resulted in improved nutritional quality of lunches consumed by students who participate in the National School Lunch Program,” said senior study author Jessica Jones-Smith, an associate professor of health services and epidemiology at the UW School of Public Health. “The reach of the program is tremendous.

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