New qualitative study explores California school foodservice directors’ perceptions and experiences of School Meals for All

California school foodservice directors perceive universal school meals, also known as School Meals for All, as beneficial for improving meal access, reducing stigma, and enhancing administrative efficiency, according to a new Nutrition Policy Institute study. Researchers from NPI interviewed 29 California foodservice directors in spring 2022 to explore the benefits and challenges of implementing universal school meals allowed under federal COVID-19 pandemic waivers during the 2021-2022 school years. Foodservice directors also shared that universal school meals were strongly supported by parents and school communities, resulted in the elimination of school meal debt, and supported students' learning readiness and behavior. Directors were challenged by increased meal demand which led to increased workload, further impacted by staffing shortages, hiring and retention challenges and pandemic-related supply-chain issues. They also highlighted the importance of California's Kitchen Infrastructure and Training grants to support equipment upgrades to facilitate universal school meal implementation. The study, funded by California General Fund SB 170, was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics by NPI's Dania Orta-Aleman, Monica Zuercher, Chrisitina Hecht, Ken Hecht, Lorrene Ritchie and Wendi Gosliner; Isha Poudel from the University of California, Davis; Deborah Olarte from Merrimack College; Anisha Patel from Stanford University; Michele Polacsek from the University of New England; and Juliana Cohen from Merrimack College and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.