Food Access & Food Insecurity

School meals provide a significant portion of children’s daily nutrition, and policies like the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, Community Eligibility Provision, and Healthy School Meals for All have improved access to healthier meals. However, variations in lunch period lengths and seated time may affect meal…

The Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network, or NOPREN, informs policies and practices designed to support the intake of healthy, nutritious foods so that everyone has a fair chance at health. It is a collaborative network of policy researchers and evaluators, practitioners, people…

A new report from the Nutrition Policy Institute documents the impacts of the unprecedented November 2025 CalFresh benefit disruption during the federal government shutdown based on field observations at California charitable food distribution sites. For the first time in the history of the Supplemental…

The Nutrition Policy Institute is pleased to share the 2025 CalFresh Healthy Living data briefs, highlighting the vital contributions of local health departments and their community partners to California’s nutrition and physical activity promotion efforts during federal fiscal year 2025. The California…

Universal school meal policies allow all students to eat school meals at no cost, regardless of income, and have the potential to improve child nutrition and reduce stigma. However, there is limited evidence of the relationship between such policies and stigma. A new study published in the Journal…

Research Brief • January 2026 • Download PDF (665 KB)TABLE OF CONTENTSFFY 2025 CalFresh Healthy Living At a GlancePolicy, Systems, & Environmental Change EffortsEducational ActivitiesPartnerships & Multi-Sector CoalitionsAssessment of Policies, Practices, & OutcomesFFY 2025 CalFresh…

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that toddlers transition from whole milk to fat-free or low-fat milk by the time they reach two years of age to reduce saturated fat intake and obesity risk. However the science is mixed as to whether consuming lower-fat milk truly supports improved…

A new review published in the Journal of Nutrition highlights how children’s and adolescents’ nutrition—and its impact on health, learning, and development—is shaped by a complex nutrition ecology that extends beyond individual dietary intake. The paper is part of the Biomarkers of Nutrition for…

A new policy brief highlights a study showing how longer participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, is associated with higher diet quality among children ages 2 to 5. Using a national sample, the study showed that children who stayed enrolled in…