Universal Free Meals Associated with Lower Meal Costs While Maintaining Nutritional Quality

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March 2021

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 allows the provision of universal free meals (UFMs) in high-poverty school areas. Participation in UFM programs, including through CEP, could reduce meal costs due to economies of scale and a lower administrative burden. This study analyzed the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (SNMCS) data from 508 UFM-eligible schools (103 UFMs) to evaluate whether meal costs varied by UFM status.

Full Citation: Long MW, Marple K, Andreyeva T. Universal Free Meals Associated with Lower Meal Costs While Maintaining Nutritional Quality. Nutrients. 2021;13(2):670. Published 2021 Feb 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020670