{"id":231777,"date":"2025-06-17T07:15:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T11:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=231777"},"modified":"2025-06-17T11:21:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T15:21:52","slug":"cuts-to-school-lunch-and-food-bank-funding-mean-less-fresh-produce-for-children-and-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/06\/cuts-to-school-lunch-and-food-bank-funding-mean-less-fresh-produce-for-children-and-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuts to School Lunch and Food Bank Funding Mean Less Fresh Produce for Children and Families"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. government recently cut more than $1 billion in funding to two long-running programs that helped schools and food banks<\/a>\u00a0feed children and families in need. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the reductions are a \u201creturn to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives<\/a>.\u201d But advocacy groups say the cuts will\u00a0hurt millions of Americans<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The reductions came just days before the release of the Trump administration\u2019s\u00a0Make America Healthy Again report<\/a>, an analysis of the factors causing chronic disease in children. One of those factors, the report says, is poor diet.<\/em><\/p>\n

Marlene Schwartz<\/a>, a professor of\u00a0human development and family sciences<\/a>\u00a0and director of the\u00a0Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health<\/a> at UConn, discusses why cutting the Local Food for Schools and the Local Food Purchase Assistance programs means less fresh food will be available to children and families \u2013 and could hurt local farmers and ranchers too.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Conversation has collaborated with SciLine to bring you highlights from the discussion, edited here for brevity and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Could you explain the two programs that were cut?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marlene Schwartz:<\/strong>\u00a0Most schools were eligible for\u00a0Local Food for Schools<\/a>, a $660 million program, which has now\u00a0been cut<\/a>. The funds for Local Food for Schools were on top of the reimbursement that schools\u00a0get for meals<\/a>\u00a0and would have allowed them to buy more local, fresh food.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Local Food Purchase Assistance program<\/a>\u00a0was designed primarily\u00a0for food banks<\/a>. Again, the idea was to provide federal money,\u00a0about $500 million<\/a>, so food banks could buy from local farmers and\u00a0support local agriculture<\/a>. But that too was cut.<\/p>\n

How will these cuts affect families and schoolchildren?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Schwartz:<\/strong>\u00a0Many children eat two of their meals, five days a week, at school. During the 2022-2023 school year,\u00a0about 28 million kids<\/a>\u00a0ate lunch at school. More than 14 million had breakfast there.<\/p>\n

Having fresh, local produce in the school cafeteria provides the opportunity to introduce children to more fruits and vegetables and teach them about the food grown in their own communities. Think about how powerful a lesson about nutrition and local agriculture can be when you not only hear and read about it but can taste it too.<\/p>\n

How will these cuts affect farmers and ranchers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Schwartz:<\/strong>\u00a0When the funding was there, the farmers and ranchers knew they had guaranteed buyers for their products. So the loss of these funds, especially so quickly, will have\u00a0a very negative effect on them<\/a>. Suddenly, the buyers they counted on don\u2019t have the money to buy from them.<\/p>\n

How does nutritious food in schools impact kids?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Schwartz:<\/strong>\u00a0Both the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program are required to comply with the\u00a0dietary guidelines for Americans<\/a>, so they\u2019ve always had nutrition standards. These guidelines are updated every five years to reflect the most recent science and public health needs.<\/p>\n

The regulations on school meal nutrition were strengthened significantly with the 2010\u00a0Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act<\/a>. We\u2019ve done\u00a0a number of studies<\/a>\u00a0showing that because of these changes, healthier meals are available at schools, and\u00a0children eat better<\/a>. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also did a large national study that\u00a0reported much the same<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another study looked at the nutritional quality of the food at school, from home and at restaurants. It found that school food was\u00a0the healthiest of all<\/a>. Many people were surprised by this, but when you think about it, schools are the only setting required to follow federal and state nutrition regulations \u2013 restaurants and grocery stores don\u2019t have to do that.<\/p>\n

But getting kids to eat nutritious food can be a challenge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Schwartz:<\/strong>\u00a0We\u2019ve known for decades that American children are\u00a0not eating enough fruits and vegetables<\/a>. We know they\u2019re eating\u00a0too much added sugar<\/a>,\u00a0saturated fat and sodium<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is due in part to the millions of dollars food companies spend to entice children to eat more\u00a0sugary cereals<\/a>,\u00a0sweetened beverages<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0fast food<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I think the best nutrition education happens on your plate. By maximizing the quality of food served in schools, policymakers can influence the diets of millions of children every single day.<\/p>\n

How nutritious are the foods at food banks?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Schwartz:<\/strong>\u00a0Food banks often measure their success in terms of the pounds of food they distribute into a community. But families relying on the charitable food system often have a higher risk of diet-related illness \u2013 like high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes \u2013\u00a0and many want healthier foods<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In response, food banks,\u00a0which nationwide serve about 50 million Americans<\/a>, have made a concerted effort to improve the nutritional quality of their food. There\u2019s now a system to help food banks\u00a0consistently track the nutritional quality<\/a>\u00a0of what they provide.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Watch the\u00a0full interview<\/a>\u00a0to hear more.<\/em><\/p>\n

Originally published in The Conversation.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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