Free school meals program faces uncertainty ahead

By Marlene B. Schwartz, University of Connecticut and Juliana Cohen, Merrimack College Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gets hugs from students after signing into law a measure that guarantees free school meals at all of the state’s public and charter schools. Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via Getty Images Should all U.S. public school students be able to eat breakfast and lunch at no cost, regardless of their family’s income? The federal government temporarily made that possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, some states have taken it upon themselves to make it happen on a permanent basis. The Conversation U.S. asked Marlene B. Schwartz and Juliana Cohen, two scholars of school nutrition, to explain why this issue has become more prominent and what they expect the next presidential administration to do about it. Students are served a lunch made with local farm produce at Copiague High School on New York’s Long Island on Oct. 20, 2022. Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images How many K-12 students get free meals at school? The National School Lunch Program provides nutritious meals for over 28 million students each day. Students living in low-income households can receive meals for free or at a reduced price....