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Cost of School Meals and Households’ Difficulty Paying for Expenses: Evidence from the Household Pulse Survey

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  • Toossi, Saied

Abstract

School meals are typically served to children for free, at a reduced price, or at full price, depending on their household’s income. In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a waiver allowing schools to provide meals for free to all students regardless of household income in the 2020–21 and 2021–22 school years. This waiver expired on June 30, 2022, leading some advocates and policymakers to express concern that the reintroduction of prices for school meals could make it difficult for some households to meet their other expenses. However, it is unclear whether having to pay for school meals makes it difficult for households to meet their other spending needs. Using new data from the Household Pulse Survey, this economic brief finds that overall, nearly one-third of households with children aged 5–17 that paid for school meals in December 2022 reported that doing so made it difficult for them to pay for other usual expenses. The share reporting the same among households with children aged 5–17 and incomes below 225 percent of the Federal poverty level, and among non-White households with children aged 5–17, was higher than the overall share.

Suggested Citation

  • Toossi, Saied, 2023. "Cost of School Meals and Households’ Difficulty Paying for Expenses: Evidence from the Household Pulse Survey," Economic Brief 340805, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uerseb:340805
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.340805
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Amy Ellen Schwartz & Michah W. Rothbart, 2020. "Let Them Eat Lunch: The Impact of Universal Free Meals on Student Performance," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(2), pages 376-410, March.
    2. Toossi, Saied, 2021. "COVID-19 Working Paper: Filling the Pandemic Meal Gap: Disruptions to Child Nutrition Programs and Expansion of Free Meal Sites in the Early Months of the Pandemic," USDA Miscellaneous 314932, United States Department of Agriculture.
    3. Toossi, Saied, 2021. "COVID-19 Working Paper: Filling the Pandemic Meal Gap: Disruptions to Child Nutrition Programs and Expansion of Free Meal Sites in the Early Months of the Pandemic," Administrative Publications 327342, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agricultural and Food Policy; Consumer/Household Economics; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty;
    All these keywords.

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