Food deserts are often associated with the absence or shortage of grocery stores in an area.  One food source, however, is often overlooked: school lunches. School lunches provide the main source of food for thousands of children in the U.S., and shape their perception of healthy eating for years to come. Due to a lack of focus and funding, the school lunch system is not entirely effective. School lunches can/could play a pivotal role in addressing food deserts, if we can transform an industry and operation that accounts for nearly five billion meals annually. Being both a problem and a solution, school lunches have become an important tool in fighting food deserts.

In 2012, Cornell University conducted a study at a New York high school and found dramatic shifts when they made healthier foods more convenient for students. Their sales were increased by 18 percent and the grams of unhealthy foods consumed decreased by nearly 28 percent. Making such improvements in an industry of this size will have far-reaching and lasting impacts. 

Improving lunches served to students across the country benefits their families too. For families living in food deserts, this new focus will allow children to bring this knowledge of healthy food and routine back to their families. Then, if grocery stores with healthy foods continue to open in food deserts, residents will be able to combine both approaches to effectively combat food access issues.

The school food system is as complex as the American education system. It is full of obstacles that make it difficult for schools to source healthy food for their students. While the need for industry-wide change is needed, the many systems involved complicate a simple solution: to put healthier food on a child’s tray. Not all school districts are alike. Several factors affect access to resources: size, number of students receiving free or reduced-price meals, and geography. These indicators create challenges in streamlining and collaborating with school lunch programs nationally. 

Despite being a $15 billion enterprise nationally, some schools lack the resources to serve high-quality food. The National School Lunch Program provides low-cost or free school lunches to 31 million students at more hundreds of thousands public and private schools per day. Participating schools receive a mere $1.30 for each child’s lunch. School food programs also depend on income from families in the school district, often creating a wealth disparity between public and private schools. Where does the rest of the billions of dollars go? It funds the operations such as labor and supplies. 

The typical school lunch in America has come a long way since the 1980s, but it still has a long way to go. Initiatives of people and organizations, both big and small, have highlighted gaps within the food system and push for healthier school lunches across the country. Former First Lady, Michelle Obama, implemented the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010 which contributed to a win for school lunches and the students who ate them. It requires cafeterias to offer more produce and whole grains in all school meals. Additionally, programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture started to provide students with access to meals by reimbursing schools for providing healthier meals to students. In 2012, they began strengthening their school lunch guidelines, requiring schools to meet a set of nutrition standards in their cafeterias and vending machines.

Strikingly, some of these guidelines had not been updated in 30 years. 

A University of Buffalo 2014 study explored the relationship between food deserts and academic achievement in school children. It concluded that there is no significant correlation to poor academic achievement within regions of low-income students living in food deserts. School lunches, however, are making the difference. A 2018 University of California Berkeley study did find that switching to a healthy meal vendor raised test scores in California public schools. 

Many children living in food deserts rely on their meals at school. Greater funding, research, and focus on school lunches is vital to improve the lives of children and those living in food deserts. The benefits of a good school lunch program are not just about delivering high-quality nutritious food but about cultivating a healthier food culture. As school lunches improve, children and families around the world will become more accustomed to healthier ways of eating. These meals becoming healthier will shape their perception of healthy food for the rest of their life.