“Schools are now the single healthiest place Americans are eating.”
We’ve long championed the role of school nutrition in boosting the health and learning opportunities of school-aged children. So when researchers at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University published a study showing that schools are the best source of nutritious meals, we had to highlight it.
An overview of that study highlights the findings. Their research “analyzed all meals (including snacks and beverages) consumed by Americans over 16 years.” And despite discouraging findings about the nutritional quality of meals from restaurants, grocery stores, entertainment venues, and others, the study concluded that “Americans of all ages are, for the most part, eating poorly everywhere—except at school.
The study stated clearly that “Schools are now the single healthiest place Americans are eating.”
If you want to highlight the amazing food offered in your school nutrition program, we can help. With 10+ years of experience and expertise in school meal marketing, we can help boost awareness and engagement. Start with a free consultation and Social Media Report Card.
SCHOOL MEALS ARE BEST ACROSS ALL DEMOGRAPHICS
This has been significant across all groups, regardless of race, ethnicity, and income. Quotes Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School and senior author of the study, “our results suggest substantial nutritional harms for millions of kids who have not been consistently receiving meals at school and must rely on other sources. These harms also disproportionately affect low-income, Black and Latinx children.”
The study looked at the diets of roughly 40,000 adults and 21,000 children between the years 2003 and 2018. The nutritional quality of school meals improved significantly in this period, and the study found that the majority of the improvement occurred after the passage of the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010.
A key part of the study was that it accounted for food that was actually consumed from different sources, not “what is theoretically available to be purchased.”
Some of the findings from the study include:
In U.S. children from 2003 to 2018:
The proportion of poor nutritional quality food consumed from restaurants declined least, from 85% to 80%.
The proportion of poor nutritional quality food consumed from grocery stores declined modestly, from 53% to 45%.
The proportion of poor nutritional quality food consumed from schools was cut by more than half, from 57% to 24%.
Significant disparities were seen in improvements in food consumed from grocery stores, with greater improvements among whites than Blacks or Hispanics, and among children in households with greater family income or heads of household with higher educational attainment than with lower income or education.
In contrast, improvements in food consumed from schools were equitable by race/ethnicity, education, and household income.
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HOW HAVE SCHOOLS IMPROVED FOOD QUALITY?
“Our results underscore the fact that the nutritional quality of most meals, snacks, and drinks consumed in the U.S. remains poor, and with important differences by where the food is obtained,” said Mozaffarian. “Improvement in schools was especially striking, large, and equitable across population subgroups.”
Continued first author Junxiu Liu, a postdoctoral scholar at the Friedman School at the time of the study, and now an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “The nutritional improvements in foods obtained at school came from kids eating more of what’s good for them, such as whole grains, total fruits, greens and beans, and less of what’s harmful, such as sugary drinks, refined grains, and foods with added sugar.”
ARE PEOPLE AWARE OF YOUR SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAM?
None of this is a surprise to school nutrition professionals, but it usually is for parents, families, students, and even other school staff. If getting the word out about your nutrition program continues to be a challenge, let us help!
Our work in school meal marketing has helped districts see meaningful increases in school meal program:
Participation
Engagement
Awareness
DON’T WAIT TO PROMOTE YOUR SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAM
Marketing and outreach is often the thing that school nutrition leaders desire the most, and yet have the least time to enact. But it doesn't have to be that way. Take the first step toward letting your community know about the amazing food and team that is being provided each and every school day. Schedule a FREE consultation and get a Social Media Report Card to show you how to boost your school meal program.