This publication is a helpful resource for anyone managing school vending machines, fundraisers, or snack bars to better understand the Smart Snacks standards. A Guide to Smart Snacks in School was updated for School Year 2019–2020.
Read ArticleUS Department of Agriculture
July 1, 2019
This article discusses how in recent years, schools have run into some major issues regarding lunch debt. Update: The House of Representatives voted to kill HB 202 on April 7, 2021.
Read ArticleCitizens Count
March 28, 2021
This article outlines two pending rule changes meant to reduce what the Trump administration calls the abuse of federal benefit programs, which could mean hundreds of thousands of children lose access to free school meals.
Read ArticleNPR Education
Cory Turner
February 19, 2020
This article gives a brief overview of the positive school lunch program changes under the Obama administration, providing strong data and statistics to support these changes.
Read ArticleUniversity of Washington School of Public Health
Ashlie Chandler
July 28, 2021
This piece was produced by The Counter, a nonprofit newsroom investigating the forces shaping how and what America eats. This article discusses how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted school lunches.
Read ArticleThe Counter
Jessica Fu
June 23, 2021
School lunches are vastly different in countries around the world. Some schools provide more or less nutritious foods, and some do not require kids to pay.
Read ArticleWashington Post, Adapted by NewsELA
Vicky Hallett
11/6/2019
School lunches are not as healthy as they need to be to support students and their learning because they are made as cheaply as possible. There are ways that you can take action in your community to improve school lunches.
Read ArticleFood Revolution Network
Lindsay Oberst
8/29/2018
Unhealthy school lunches contribute to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity rates are on the rise and can lead to health problems, so schools should set stronger standards for healthy lunches and increase funding.
Read ArticleUnion of Concerned Scientists
February 19th, 2015
When students are able to customize their meals and have a say in what they eat, they are more likely to make healthy choices. Food served at school shouldn’t just be nutritious; it should also taste good.
Read ArticleNew York Times
Anahad O’Connor
4/14/2020
The government is making school lunches more nutritious, but this also makes them more expensive. School districts may have to raise prices for families above the cutoff line for reduced-price lunches.
Read ArticleNew York Times
Fernanda Santos
9/19/2011
The Healthy Schools Campaign fights for healthy school lunches that fuel learning. When children eat healthy lunches at school, their taste buds change and this will make them healthier eaters as adults.
Read ArticleHealthy Schools Campaign
2020
More than a third of middle schoolers that regularly eat school lunches are obese. In a study of more than 1,000 middle school students, researchers found that kids that eat school lunches are less likely to eat enough fruits and vegetables and more likely to be overweight or obese.
Read ArticleWebMD
Charlene Santos
3/15/2010
In a study from the University of Illinois, researchers expanded the availability of water for students at lunchtime. Students reduced their consumption of sugary beverages and were less likely to be overweight.
Read ArticleHealthline
Elizabeth Pratt
11/21/2017
School lunches have not changed over the past few decades, even though what we know about nutrition has changed. Students are rushed to make quick decisions about what to eat in order to rush through eating and get to play.
Read ArticleMindshift Podcast
Kat
10/1/2019
Eating school lunches is correlated with childhood obesity. Schools should teach healthy behaviors, like eating fruits and vegetables and reducing sugary drinks.
Read ArticleMichigan Medicine
8/11/2013
