2024-2025 National School Foods Study

The study focuses on four key areas of data collection related to national school meal programs:

1. Food procurement by SFAs
2. Costs and revenues of school meal programs
3. Parent and child perceptions of school meal programs
4. Menu data

The study will use surveys, interviews, food purchase and program data, dietary recall, plate waste observations, and more to collect information about these key areas. These data sources will gather information from a nationally representative sample of school districts, schools, families, and meals. All data collection materials have been approved by HML Institutional Review Board to ensure ethical assurance of the protection of participants in this research.

[Embedded Student and Parent Video once available]

Are parents and children required to participate?
Participation is voluntary but encouraged by school districts and schools. This critical study helps FNS understand school nutrition and school meals to better serve your community.

How will families be involved in the study?
We will interview students and their parents or caregivers. We will ask about what students eat, their activities, and their opinions about school meals. Some students may also bring home food booklets and tools to estimate the size of the food they eat (for example, measuring cups). The study will represent students in public schools across the country. Your experiences and opinions matter!

Should a family still participate if their child does not eat school breakfast or lunch?
Yes! This study is about all students. It is important that we interview students who eat school meals and those who do not. Even if your child has never eaten a meal or snack provided by the school, we need your help. We want to understand why some families do not participate in the school meal programs.

Will responses be kept private?
All information gathered for the study will be kept private to the fullest extent allowed by law. No information on individual students or families will be shared or reported. No students or parents will be named or identified in any way. Participation will not affect any nutrition benefits families may receive now or in the future.

What will parents and children be asked?
Interviewers may ask about:

• How often your child eats school foods

• What your child usually eats, and what they ate on a specific day

• General student characteristics, such as exercise habits

• What your child likes or does not like about the school meal programs

What do families receive for participating?
As a thank you for participating, students and parents will receive a small payment after completing their interview.

How will SFAs and schools be involved in the study?
SFAs and district superintendents will receive study materials both through e-mail and through a “hard copy” mailing. These study materials will include an overview of the planned data collection activities specific to each SFA. The materials will also identify for the SFA the schools that are being asked to participate. SFAs will then be invited to participate in a webinar to learn more about the study and ask questions about their role.

The study team will work with the SFAs to plan for data collection and coordinate with schools to accommodate staff and school schedules and minimize the disruption to school meal operations. Some of the data collection activities will be done completely remotely, while some activities will take place at schools. The study team will work with SFAs and schools to adhere to district research and privacy requirements and policies.

What is the purpose of the study?
The National Schools Foods study will examine program operations, the nutritional quality of school meals, school meal costs and revenues, student and parent satisfaction with the programs, plate waste, and students’ dietary intakes. The study will collect nationally representative data from SFAs, schools, and students to help inform school meal policy at the local, state, and national level.

Taking part in the study will not affect meal payment to participating SFAs and schools or school meal program benefits to participating households.

How will SFAs and schools be paid for their time?
SFAs and schools will receive payments as a thank you for participating, depending on local requirements.

How will data be kept secure?
Mathematica and its study partners have over 25 years of experience conducting research on child nutrition programs. All information gathered from SFAs and schools is for research purposes only. It will be kept private to the full extent allowed by the law. We will group responses with those of other study participants, and the published data will not identify individual SFAs, schools, or individual participants.

How are SFAs and schools selected for the study?
The study team is selecting a nationally representative sample of SFAs and schools. Data collection activities will be limited to only what is necessary and most SFAs will only participate in a subset of the data collection activities. Participation by selected State agencies, school districts, and schools is required under Section 28 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

For further information contact:

School Meals Study
Schoolmeals@mathematica-mpr.com
P.O. Box 2393
Princeton, NJ 08543-2393