School Nutrition Services (SNS) Research

Publication: JAND

Date Published: January 2016

Reference:

Cohen, J. F. W., Jahn, J. L., Richardson, S., Cluggish, S. A., Parker, E., & Rimm, E. B. (2016). Amount of Time to Eat Lunch Is Associated with Children's Selection and Consumption of School Meal Entrée, Fruits, Vegetables, and Milk. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(1), 123–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2015.07.019

Key Takeaways: The study examined how the duration of lunch periods impacted students' selection and consumption of school meal components, including entree, fruits, vegetables, and milk. Results showed that students with 20 minutes to eat were significantly less likely to select compared to those with at least 25 minutes. Students who had 20 minutes to eat consumed less of their entrees, milk, and vegetables compared with students who had at least 25 minutes to eat. The author suggests that 25 minutes to eat for school time can lead to an increase in student's dietary intake and reduce food waste. 

#ObservationalStudies