School Nutrition Services (SNS) Research

Publication: Health Affairs

Date Published: January 2024

Reference: 

Monica D Zuercher, Juliana F W Cohen, Punam Ohri-Vachaspati, Christina A Hecht, Kenneth Hecht, Michele Polacsek, Deborah A Olarte, Margaret Read, Anisha I Patel, Marlene B Schwartz, Leah E Chapman, Dania Orta-Aleman, Lorrene D Ritchie, Wendi Gosliner, 
Parent perceptions of school meals and how perceptions differ by race and ethnicity, Health Affairs Scholar, Volume 2, Issue 1, January 2024, qxad092

Key Takeaways: Universal Free School Meals assessed California parents ' perceptions of school meals—aids in saving money, time, and stress. Few reported children would be embarrassed to eat school meals, however, more white parents than Hispanic parents reported this. Hispanic and Asian parents had a less favorable perception of food, quality, taste, and health than whites, which highlights the importance of updating policies and resources to address cultural appropriateness in schools.

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