Bagged carrots and milk cartons may not be so bad after all, according to a recent UGA study on the nutritional benefits of school lunches.
Dr. Travis Smith is an Associate Professor of Agriculture and Applied Economics at the University of Georgia. His study measured the impacts of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act implemented in 2012. He found that kids from all walks of life had healthier diets when they ate school-prepared lunches.
The study compared Healthy Eating Index scores for students before and after the act went into effect. Improvements in diet between at-home and at-school meals were highest among low-income and non-Hispanic Black students. The major culprits for these improvements—an increase in whole grain consumption and a decrease in saturated fat intake.
Smith says he hopes that his study’s findings can help push the federal government to provide healthy, free meals to all students.