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You are here: Home / Reports and Studies / School Meals 
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Reports and Studies

School Lunch Line
View recent research reports regarding Child Nutrition Programs.
General School Meals
2005 FNS National Nutrition Education Conference
USDA. Food and Nutrition Service.
Links to September 2005 Conference Proceedings including full transcripts from Plenary Sessions, SNAP Mini-plenary Sessions, and many concurrent sessions.
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Child Nutrition Published Studies and Summaries
USDA. Food and Nutrition Service.
Variety of reports and studies concerning child nutrition programs in schools.
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Competitive Foods are Available in Many Schools; Actions Taken to Restrict Them Differ by State and Locality
General Accounting Office.
Click on report number to view the document. Federal state competitive foods laws and regulations and steps that have been taken at the local level to restrict competitive foods in schools.
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Competitive Foods Are Widely Available and Generate Substantial Revenues for Schools  (PDF|965.59KB)
General Accounting Office
Competitive foods can be very helpful to schools and food service but how can they be made healthier to help the students?
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Evaluation of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program: Report to Congress
USDA. Economic Research Service.
Early review of the pilot program addresses the feasibility of such a program and its success as assessed by the students' interest in participating.
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Foods Sold in Competition with USDA School Meal Programs: A Report to Congress
USDA. Food and Nutrition Services.
Report reviews the effect that competitive foods may have on the school meal programs and includes information on statutory limits or judicial rulings that may restrict the ability of the Department to regulate these competitive foods.
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Issues and Trends in Food Service Management
National Food Service Management Institute.
Study reviews four trade and four research publications to determine significant food service management trends and issues that may affect Child Nutrition Programs.
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Plate Waste in School Nutrition Programs: Final Report to Congress
USDA. Economic Research Service.
Report examines the level of plate waste in the National School Lunch Program and provides information on reduction strategies.
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Plate Waste Studies - Methods for Conducting Studies
National Food Service Management Institute.
Manual discusses the most common methods of plate waste studies, which methods are appropriate for your needs, and give you “recipes” and suggestions for conducting your own plate waste studies.
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Position Papers
American Dietetic Association.
  • Benchmarks For Nutrition Programs In Childcare Settings
  • Child and Adolescent Food and Nutrition Programs
  • Local Support for Nutrition Integrity in Schools
  • Nutrition Services: An Essential Component of Comprehensive School Health Programs
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    School Meals Initiative Implementation Studies
    USDA. Food and Nutrition Service.
    Study describes and evaluates overall implementation of the School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children, key operational characteristics of at the school district and State agency level, and training and technical assistance activities associated with the school meals programs.
  • First Year Report
  • Second Year Report
  • Third Year Report
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    Several Strategies May Lower Plate Waste in School Feeding Programs
    USDA. Economic Research Service.
    Review of studies on plate waste in school nutrition programs and strategies to reduce it to make program operations more efficient, lower costs and enhance the program’s success in meeting nutrition objectives.
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    State Agency-Funded Research, 2004-2006  (PDF|196 KB)
    National Food Service Management Institute.
    Summaries of research in progress or completed.
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    State Competitive Food Policies
    USDA. Food and Nutrition Service.
    Policies of nation’s school districts regarding foods sold in competition with the School Lunch, Breakfast, or Milk Programs to children in food service areas during the lunch periods.
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    State of the States 2007: A Profile of Food & Nutrition Programs across the Nation  (PDF|3.39 MB)
    Food Research Action Center.
    The data in this report describe the extent of hunger and food insecurity and the use of nutrition programs for the United States as a whole and for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, giving a snapshot of how well or badly each state is doing in using available tools to meet the needs of hungry people and improve the health of low-income families.
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    School Food Environment Policies in US Public Schools
    Pediatrics, The Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics
    An exploration of how school food environments change from elementary school through high school and what policies allow these changes.
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    School Lunch and Breakfast Cost Study II  (PDF|1.32)
    USDA. Food and Nutrition Service
    A study on the cost of serving school lunch and breakfast.
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    Meal Planning
    Evaluation of the Nutrient Standard Menu Planning Demonstration
    USDA. Food and Nutrition Service.
    Data was collected from directors of 34 School Food Authorities participating in the Nutrient Standard Menu Planning demonstration during fall 1995 and winter 1996. This information was used to assess the implementation status of these sites and examine perceived strengths and weaknesses of the system. Scroll down to the title in the Child Nutrition Studies Archive to view the entire report.
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    National School Lunch Program
    Certifying Eligibility in the National School Lunch Program
    USDA. Economic Research Service.
    Brief examines whether students who are not eligible for free or reduced-cost meals are receiving meals.
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    Eating at School: A Summary of NFSMI Research on Time Required by Students to Eat Lunch
    National Food Service Management Institute.
    Scroll down to title to view the document. Summary of three studies identifies the time required by students to eat lunch.
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    How Long Does It Take Students to Eat Lunch? A Summary of Three Studies
    Journal of Child Nutrition and Management.
    Article discusses time elements of the dining experience including eating lunch, socializing, service, and clean-up activities and how this information can be used to determine reasonable lunch schedules for students.
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    National School Lunch Program Briefing Room
    USDA. Economic Research Service.
    Offers on recent research developments, readings and data, questions and answers, and a collection of other ERS products and services addressing the issue.
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    Profiles of Participants in the National School Lunch Program: Data From Two National Surveys
    USDA. Economic Research Service.
    A report using information from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the 2001 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). This report looks at characteristics of National School Lunch Program participants.
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    The National School Lunch Program: Backgrounds, Trends, and Issues  (PDF|463.33 KB)
    USDA, Economic Research Service 2008
    A full description of all of the different aspects of the National School Lunch Program and the issues facing schools and school food service today.
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    School Breakfast Program
    Breakfast for Learning  (PDF|80 KB)
    Food Research and Action Center.
    Recent scientific research on the link between children’s nutrition and academic performance.
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    Designs for Measuring How the School Breakfast Program Affects Learning
    USDA. Economic Research Service.
    Report describes a study design permitting a scientifically defensible evaluation of the impact of the School Breakfast Program on learning and cognitive development among children.
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    Eating Breakfast: Effects of the School Breakfast Program
    USDA. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.
    Report uses alternative definitions of breakfast to determine percentages of students eating breakfast and whether the School Breakfast Program increased the likelihood of eating breakfast.
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    Evaluation of the School Breakfast Pilot Project: Findings from the First Year of Implementation
    USDA. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.
    During the first year of implementation, the availability of universal-free school breakfast nearly doubled school breakfast participation. Read this study to learn more.
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    School Breakfast in America's Big Cities
    Food Research and Action Center.
    In Breakfast in America's Big Cities, the Food Research and Action Center surveyed 23 large school districts, which were selected on the basis of size and geographic representation. The survey found that school strategies that make breakfast part of the school day were the most effective ways to reach children.
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    School Breakfast Program Briefing Room
    USDA. Economic Research Service.
    Offers on recent research developments, readings and data, questions and answers, and a collection of other ERS products and services addressing the issue.
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    Meal Counting and Claiming By Food Service Management Companies in the School Meals Program  (PDF|563.42)
    General Accounting Office
    Evaluates how meal counting and claiming are frequently incorrect in schools and food service establishments and what efforts can be made to correct these issues.
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    In Classroom Breakfast Programs: Best Practices
    National Food Service Management Institute
    Study explores the best practices for in-classroom school breakfast programs.
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    Summer Food Service
    Overcoming Barriers to Participation in the Summer Food Service Program  (PDF|2.46 MB)
    National Food Service Management Institute.
    A report examining ways to increase participation in the Summer Food Service Program.
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    Report to Congress: USDA's Simplified Summer Food Service Program 2001-2006; April 2007  (PDF|266 KB)
    USDA. FNS. Office of Analysis and Nutrition Evaluation.
    The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 required that the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) evaluate the impact of Simplified Summer which now operates in 26 States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The evaluation is based on both discussion interviews with 16 States participating in Simplified Summer and quantitative analyses of program outcome measures (calculated from the regular monthly State administrative reports required by FNS).
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    Last Modified: Nov 3, 2009  
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    See Also
      Food and Nutrition Service
      Agricultural Research Service
      Economic Research Service
      Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)
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