Participation Trends for Full Price Meals in the National School Lunch ProgramJEL codes

Participation in USDA's National School Lunch Program has declined since 2011, driven by fewer full-price lunch purchases among students not eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Potential explanations include meal price increases for paying students and updated nutrition standards for meals following implementation of the Healthy Hunger-Free Child Act, as well as macroeconomic factors. Longitudinal analyses of full-price lunch participation at the state and local levels indicate household income and employment trends were significantly associated with participation trends, but lunch price increases and challenges some localities experienced implementing new nutrition standards may have played a role as well.

Automated summary

Participation in USDA's National School Lunch Program has decreased since 2011, mainly due to a decline in full-price lunch purchases among students not eligible for free or reduced-price meals. This decline may be attributed to factors such as meal price increases, updated nutrition standards, and macroeconomic factors. Longitudinal analyses indicate that household income and employment trends are significantly associated with participation trends, while local challenges in implementing new nutrition standards may have also played a role.