The Effect of Free School Meals on Household Food Purchases: Evidence from the Community Eligibility Provision

Michelle M. Marcus and Katherine G. Yewell

No 29395, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We find access to universal free school meals through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) had a meaningful impact on grocery spending for households with children, with monthly food purchases declining by about $11, or 5 percent. For households in zip codes with higher exposure, the decline is as high as $39 per month, or 19 percent. The composition of food purchases also changes after CEP, with low income households experiencing a 3 percent improvement in dietary quality. Finally, CEP exposure is associated with an almost 5 percent decline in households classified as food insecure. Our results on the heterogeneous effects of CEP exposure by prior free/reduced price lunch eligibility reveal benefits in terms of both spending, dietary composition, and food insecurity for previously eligible low-income families, suggesting that the stigma of free school meals may be declining after universal access.

JEL-codes: H51 I12 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-hea
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Published as Michelle Marcus & Katherine G. Yewell, 2022. "The Effect of Free School Meals on Household Food Purchases: Evidence from the Community Eligibility Provision," Journal of Health Economics, .

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