Food For Thought: How Universal Free Meals Benefit Us All

Food For Thought is a show about how the implementation of Universal School Meals countrywide benefits all Americans. I provide research, data, and personal anecdotes that support the idea that providing two free school meals, breakfast and lunch to all students, will lead to an improved education system, alleviate food insecurity in low-income/minority students and will improve behavior as well as instances of absenteeism. Below I have provided clickable  links to all of the sources mentioned in this show. A complete list of citations follows. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/education-rankings-by-countryhttps://www.sustainweb.org/blogs/mar23-countries-have-universal-free-school-meals/#:~:text=Many%20countries%20around%20the%20world%20provide%20free,receive%20a%20free%20school%20meal%20every%20dayhttps://www.nokidhungry.org/who-we-are/hunger-factshttps://www.usda.gov/about-food/food-safety/food-loss-and-waste/food-waste-faqs#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20food,far%2Dreaching%20impacts%20on%20society:https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=113996https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/cep/factsheethttps://www.fns.usda.gov/fns-101-nslphttps://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2634https://doi-org.ezproxy4.library.arizona.edu/10.1177/10901981211011936https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/1366/https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/public-school-rankings-by-stateReferences:Adams, E. L., Raynor, H. A., Thornton, L. M., Mazzeo, S. E., & Bean, M. K. (2022). Nutrient intake during school lunch in Title I elementary schools with universal free meals. Health Education & Behavior, 49(1), 118-127. https://doi-org.ezproxy4.library.arizona.edu/10.1177/10901981211011936Andreyeva, T., & Sun, X. (2021). Universal school meals in the US: What can we learn from the community eligibility provision? Nutrients, 13(8)(2634). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082634Murillo, R. (2022). What's lunch got to do with it? A case study of California policy, educational equity, and the first statewide universal school meals program. Master's Projects and Capstones, 1366, 1-98. https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/1366/