A new study finds that ending universal free school meal programs may do more than hurt the bottom line. It may also leave more students hungry, stigmatized and burdened by meal debt.
Published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, the study surveyed nearly 1,000 school food authorities across eight states to examine what happened after pandemic-era policies providing free breakfast and lunch to all students were discontinued.
The results were stark: in states that ended universal free meals, 73% of school food authorities reported declines in participation, compared with only 15% in states that kept the program. Nearly 76% reported increases in unpaid meal charges and school meal debt, while only 5% of those continuing the policy saw similar rises.
“Universal free school meals not only reduce stigma but also ensure more students have access to healthy meals,” said lead author Juliana Cohen, ScD, RD, director of the Center for Health Innovation, Research, and Policy at Merrimack College and adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Our findings show that removing these policies comes at a cost to both school nutrition programs and student well-being.”
The study also found that stigma toward low-income students was much higher in states without universal access, 26% vs. 5%, and that participation in school meal programs declined even among students who still qualified for free or reduced-price meals. These shifts can translate into real nutritional gaps, particularly for children who rely on school meals as a main source of balanced food during the day.
Researchers note that states such as California, Maine and Massachusetts, which maintained universal free school meals through state-level funding, reported more stable revenues and better student access to nutritious foods. Meanwhile, districts in states that ended the programs faced growing debt and strained budgets that could threaten meal quality and variety.
The authors conclude that reinstating or expanding universal meal programs could help reduce financial strain on schools while ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for students across income levels.
This research was supported by Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the California General Fund SB 170.