State Universal Free School Meal Policies Reduced Food Insufficiency Among Children in the 2022–2023 School Year

Saied Toossi

Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, 2024, vol. 2024

Abstract: Typically, children receive federally subsidized meals through these programs for free if their household’s income is no more than 130 percent of the Federal poverty line and at a reduced-price if their household’s income is greater than 130 percent and up to 185 percent of the Federal poverty line. All other children pay full price. In response to the onset of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020, the Federal Government issued a waiver allowing schools to serve free meals to all children, a policy colloquially referred to as “universal free meals.” This waiver expired in June 2022, and schools were once again required to charge some students for school meals beginning with the 2022–2023 school year. However, six States (California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Vermont) opted to supplement Federal funding for the school meal programs with State funds to extend universal free meals into the school year.

Keywords: Community/Rural/Urban Development; Consumer/Household Economics; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty; Public Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uersaw:356079

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.356079

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