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. 2020 Nov;110(11):1635-1643.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2020.305875. Epub 2020 Sep 17.

School Closures During COVID-19: Opportunities for Innovation in Meal Service

Eliza W Kinsey  1 , Amelie A Hecht  1 , Caroline Glagola Dunn  1 , Ronli Levi  1 , Margaret A Read  1 , Courtney Smith  1 , Pamela Niesen  1 , Hilary K Seligman  1 , Erin R Hager  1
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School Closures During COVID-19: Opportunities for Innovation in Meal Service

Eliza W Kinsey et al. Am J Public Health. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

In 2019, the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program served approximately 15 million breakfasts and 30 million lunches daily at low or no cost to students.Access to these meals has been disrupted as a result of long-term school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially decreasing both student nutrient intake and household food security. By the week of March 23, 2020, all states had mandated statewide school closures as a result of the pandemic, and the number of weekly missed breakfasts and lunches served at school reached a peak of approximately 169.6 million; this weekly estimate remained steady through the final week of April.We highlight strategies that states and school districts are using to replace these missed meals, including a case study from Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture waivers that, in many cases, have introduced flexibility to allow for innovation. Also, we explore lessons learned from the pandemic with the goal of informing and strengthening future school nutrition policies for out-of-school time, such as over the summer.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Free and Reduced-Price (FRP) Participating Students as a Percentage of Total Student Enrollment and State Cumulative Missed FRP School Breakfasts and Lunches: United States, March 2–May 1, 2020 Note. This map depicts (in gray) students participating in free and reduced-price meals as a percentage of the total state student enrollment population. The number overlaid on each state is the total number (in millions) of free and reduced-price missed school meals (breakfast and lunch) between March 2 and May 1, 2020.
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
Number of Breakfast and Lunch Meals Served per Week During COVID-19 School Closures: Maryland, March 16–May 3, 2020 Note. The average number of free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch meals served each week before the COVID-19 pandemic was 2 469 585. aMany districts suspended meal service for 1 or 2 days during spring break.
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References

    1. US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. National School Lunch Program. Available at: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/child-nutritio.... Accessed August 16, 2020.
    1. US Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Child nutrition tables: national level annual summary tables: FY 1969–2019. Available at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/child-nutrition-tables. Accessed August 16, 2020.
    1. Coleman-Jensen A, Rabbitt MP, Gregory CA, Singh A. Household food security in the United States in 2018. Available at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=94848. Accessed August 16, 2020.
    1. US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. Food security in the US: key statistics and graphics. Available at: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-.... Accessed August 16, 2020.
    1. Schanzenbach D, Pitts A. Estimates of food insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis: results from the COVID Impact Survey, week 1 (April 20–26, 2020) Available at: https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/documents/reports/food-insecurity-covid.... Accessed August 16, 2020.

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