Peer-reviewed article
Statewide Universal School Meals Policies and Food Insecurity: Difference-in-Differences Analysis.
Kinderknecht KL, Rimm EB, Austin SB, Ramanadhan S, Lee MM et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines whether state policies that make all school meals free reduce food insecurity among households with school-aged children in the United States. Using data from 2012 to 2024, researchers compared households in states that maintained universal free meals policies with those in other states. The findings show that universal school meal policies were associated with decreased food insecurity, particularly for lower-income households and their children.
Key points
- Households with highest incomes in universal school meals (USM) states showed 1.3 percentage-point differential decrease in household food insecurity and 0.9 percentage-point decrease in child food insecurity
- Low-middle income households in USM states showed 3.2 percentage-point differential decrease in household food insecurity but no differential change in child food insecurity
- Lowest-income households in USM states showed no differential change in household food insecurity but 3.8 percentage-point decrease in child food insecurity
- The study included 75,122 US households with children aged 6 to 17 years
- Results varied by household income level, suggesting USM policies have differential effects across socioeconomic groups
Limitations
The study notes that the parallel trends assumption was violated for lowest-income households, weakening causal claims for that group. The analysis cannot determine whether observed reductions in food insecurity are due to the meals themselves, reduced financial strain from not paying for meals, or other unmeasured factors.
Abstract
Background and objectives The National School Lunch and Breakfast Program, a US program that addresses food insecurity, requires children with higher household incomes to pay for meals. It is unclear whether universal school meals (USM) policies, which make all meals free, further alleviate food insecurity, particularly for students who would otherwise pay. This study estimates the association between statewide USM policies and food insecurity. Methods A difference-in-differences study using a nationally representative sample of US households with 6- to 17-year-old children from 2012 to 2021 and 2023 to 2024. The exposure was maintaining statewide USM policy after 2022, determined based on state of residence. The primary outcome was household food insecurity; the secondary outcome was child food insecurity. Analyses were stratified by household income. Results The sample included 75 122 households. Households with the highest incomes in USM-maintaining states experienced a 1.3-percentage-point (95% CI: -2.1, -0.5) differential decrease in household food insecurity and a 0.9-percentage-point (95% CI: -1.4, -0.5) differential decrease in child food insecurity. Households with low-middle income in USM-maintaining states experienced a 3.2-percentage-point (95% CI: -6.1, -0.3) differential decrease in household food insecurity but no differential change in child food insecurity. Households with lowest income in USM-maintaining states experienced no differential change in household food insecurity and a 3.8-percentage-point (95% CI: -6.2, -1.5) decrease in child food insecurity, although caution is required because the parallel trends assumption was violated. Conclusions and policy implications Implementing statewide USM policies could contribute to decreased food insecurity among households with school-aged children.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Statewide universal school meals (USM) policies that make all school meals free regardless of household income
- Population
- US households with children aged 6 to 17 years; stratified by household income level (highest, low-middle, lowest)
Key finding
Highest-income households: 1.3 percentage-point decrease in household food insecurity (95% CI: -2.1, -0.5) and 0.9 percentage-point decrease in child food insecurity (95% CI: -1.4, -0.5)
KL et al. · Europe PMC · 1 Jul 2026