School Nutrition Services (SNS) Research

Publication: JAMA Pediatr

Date Published: August 4, 2025

Reference:

Ramponi, F., Zhou, H., Gosliner, W., Ohri-Vachaspati, P., Orta-Aleman, D., Ritchie, L., Schwartz, M., Turner, L., Verguet, S., & Cohen, J. (2025). Universal free school meal policies and participation in the U.S. National School Meal Programs. JAMA Pediatrics, 179(10), 1108–1118. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.2301

Key Takeaways: The study analyzed school-level data from 2019–2020 through 2023–2024 to assess how federal and state universal free school meal policies affected participation rates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). Results showed that federal universal free meals during the COVID-19 pandemic substantially increased participation, and states that continued universal free meal policies maintained higher participation rates in both lunch and breakfast compared with states that discontinued these policies.

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