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Background: Academic achievement is crucial for the social and economic development of young people and determines the quality of education of a nation. According to different studies, food insecurity adversely affects children's health, nutrition, and subsequent decline in academic performance by impairing students' ability to learn and therefore affects the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. To provide evidence on the association of food insecurity with academic performance is necessary. The current study assessed household food insecurity and its association with academic performance among primary school adolescents in Hargeisa City, Somaliland. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 630 primary school adolescents from December 2021 to March 2022. Students were selected using a multistage sampling technique. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on household food security and socio-demographic variables and entered into Epi data version 3.1. The data was exported to SPSS version 26 for descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals together with p <0.05 were utilized to declare statistical significance. Results: The prevalence of food insecurity among school adolescents was 59.21%. The majority (55.40%) of the school adolescents were poor academic performers. The frequency of adolescents' poor academic performance was significantly high (71.05%) among food insecure households (P < 0.001) as compared to their counterparts whose households were food secure (32.68%). On multivariable analysis, household food insecurity (AOR = 5.24, 95%CI = 3.17–8.65), school absenteeism (AOR = 3.49, 95%CI = 2.20–5.53), spending >2h/day watching TV / screen media use (AOR = 9.08, 95%CI = 4.81–17.13), high and middle wealth households (AOR = 0.51, 95%CI = 0.30–0.88) (AOR = 0.40, 95%CI = 0.21–0.76) and habitual breakfast consumption (AOR = 0.08, 95%CI = 0.03–0.20) had shown statistically significant association with academic performance among primary school adolescents. Conclusion: The present study revealed that household food insecurity has a high association with adolescents' academic performance. The prevalence of food insecurity is moderate, based on the household food insecurity access scale. The results indicate the need for policies and programs intended to improve household income by developing income-generation programs for lower-income families and enhance feeding programs such as national school lunch and school feeding across schools in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Share tables (ST) are tables or stations in school cafeterias where students can return unopened foods and beverages, providing an opportunity to access these items at no cost. Currently, research suggests that milk is among the most wasted items in breakfast and lunch programs in the United States. Share tables present a simple solution for reducing milk waste, but research is needed to understand the microbial spoilage potential of milk in ST. To this end, uninoculated milk cartons and milk cartons inoculated with 2 to 3 log 10 (cfu/mL) Pseudomonas poae , a fast-growing psychrotroph, was exposed to ambient temperature during winter (mean temperature = 20.3°C) and summer (23.1°C) for 125 min, repeated over 5 d (the length of a school week). Microbial counts in the inoculated milk cartons increased linearly, exceeding the spoilage threshold of 6.0 log 10 (cfu/mL) after d 3 and after d 4 in the winter and summer season trials, respectively. In the winter trial, the microbial counts for uninoculated milk cartons never exceeded the lower limit of detection, 2.31 log 10 (cfu/mL), and in the summer trials, microbial counts never reached the spoilage threshold, indicating that initial contamination is a driving factor of microbial milk spoilage. Regardless of sharing status or seasonality, the greatest changes in counts for inoculated milk cartons occurred during overnight refrigeration, ranging from 0.56 to 1.4 log 10 (cfu/mL), while during the share table ranged from no observable change up to 0.29 log 10 (cfu/mL), emphasizing that school nutrition personnel should focus efforts on tightly controlling refrigeration temperatures and returning milk to refrigeration as soon as possible. A previously developed model for school cafeteria share tables was adapted to understand the typical residence time of milk in a simulated cafeteria with an ambient temperature share table for the summer and winter seasons over 1,000 wk. Milk was predicted to have a very short mean residence time (85 min) regardless of sharing status or season, with 99.8% of milk consumed, discarded, or donated within the first 2 d. As a result, only 3 out of 451,410 and 6 out of 451,410 simulated milks spoiled in the winter and summer seasons, respectively. The data generated here can be used to inform science-based decision-making for including milk in share tables, or applied to any system where one might have to accept short-term unrefrigerated storage of milk to meet a waste reduction or food security goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the potential reimagining of the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as a nutrition-focused intervention. Some proposals in Congress suggest adding nutrition-based restrictions to SNAP, while others argue for cash-transfer programs. The article highlights the importance of considering global evidence and the potential impact on health outcomes. It also raises questions about the effectiveness and ethical implications of restrictions on SNAP. The article suggests that policymakers should carefully consider the evidence and global trends before making any major changes to SNAP. [Extracted from the article]

To evaluate if parent perceptions of school meals influence student participation. In May 2022, an online survey was used to evaluate parents' perceptions of school meals and their children's participation. A total of 1,110 California parents of kindergarten through 12th-grade students. Student participation in school lunch and breakfast. Principal component analysis and Poisson regression models. Three groups of parental perceptions were identified: (1) positive perceptions (eg, liking school meals and thinking that they are tasty and healthy), (2) perceived benefits to families (eg, school meals save families money, time, and stress), and (3) negative (eg, concerns about the amount of sugar in school meals and stigma). More positive parental perceptions about school meals and their benefits to families were associated with greater student meal participation. In contrast, more negative parental perceptions were associated with reduced student participation in school meals (P < 0.05). Parent perceptions of school meals may affect student participation in school meal programs. Working to ensure parents are familiar with the healthfulness and quality of school meals and the efforts schools are making to provide high-quality, appealing meals may be critical for increasing school meal participation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the effects of own order history, peer order history, and MyPlate nudges received by middle‐school National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participants while preordering on the selection of fruits and vegetables. Students receiving own order history nudges were significantly less likely to select a vegetable during the postintervention phase. Students who received peer order history nudges were significantly less likely to select a vegetable during the nudging and postintervention phases, suggesting that receiving information on peer selection negatively impacted the selection of vegetables. The MyPlate recommendations nudge may mitigate the negative effects of receiving peer selection information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federal program that provides free and reduced priced lunch to millions of low-income children in urban schools. Empirical research shows mixed results on the physical and nutritional health of urban students participating in the program. However, a considerable limitation of this literature is that it focuses on student participation in the NSLP rather than what students consume when they receive a school lunch. By directly collecting a random of sample of school lunches, we analyze the nutritional content of both selected and consumed school lunches (n = 141) at a Title I middle school in a large US city. Results indicated that the food items that students select for school lunch are low in nutrients and high in sugar. Furthermore, food that students ultimately consumed during lunch had even lower nutritional value while consumption of sugar remained high. Future research is needed to investigate school-based interventions that leaders can deploy to foster healthy eating in urban schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Addressing food insecurity: Why a comprehensive Farm Bill is essential for rural communities" by Stephanie Oudghiri discusses the importance of a comprehensive Farm Bill in addressing food insecurity in rural communities. The author emphasizes that food insecurity is a significant issue in rural areas and highlights the role of the Farm Bill in providing support and resources to address this problem. The article argues that a comprehensive Farm Bill is necessary to ensure access to nutritious food, promote sustainable agriculture practices, and support rural economies. The author calls for policymakers to prioritize the needs of rural communities in the development of the Farm Bill. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of International Journal of Education Policy & Leadership is the property of International Journal of Education Policy & Leadership (Center for Education Policy) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A recent National Academy of Sciences report recommends elevating the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) to the "nation's headline poverty statistic." I project how making the SPM the official poverty measure would affect eligibility for government assistance programs whose eligibility thresholds are tied to the official poverty line. Making the SPM the official poverty measure would increase the poverty line for a family of four by 20 percent in 2024. The eligibility threshold for a family of four would consequentially increase by $8320 for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), $8512 for Medicaid adults, and by larger amounts for Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidies, the National School Lunch Program, and Affordable Care Act premium subsidies (once temporarily relaxed eligibility rules are restored in 2026). Effects on eligibility thresholds would grow over time because the SPM thresholds grow faster over time than the current official thresholds. As a result of the higher eligibility thresholds, I estimate that in 2024 SNAP would cover 2.0 million additional households with spending rising by $2.6 billion, and that Medicaid would cover 1.3 million additional recipients with spending rising by $5.6 billion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Austral de Ciencias Sociales is the property of Facultad de Filosofia y Humanidades, Intituto de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Austral de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article takes a structural approach to understand how complex organizations, in this case public school districts in the United States, implement programs to promote greater justice for consumers. Drawing on the integrative justice model as a guide, this study uses deductive grounded theory and axial coding to understand how social programs, such as the National School Lunch Program, both orchestrate and obstruct distributive justice (DJ). Leaning on public policy and macromarketing literature and using ethnographic data as a guide, the study proposes a market orchestration model of DJ to offer guidance on how social programs can promote greater DJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive plate waste is generated in elementary school cafeterias. Adapting nutrition promotion strategies to target waste reduction and encouraging mindful and sustainable eating (MSE) are possible strategies to encourage students to reduce waste during school lunch. Farm to Tray, Tray to Farm is a 16-week intervention that aims to encourage elementary school students to develop mindful and sustainable eating behaviors. An educational curriculum was delivered to eight 5th-grade students, who served as peer leaders and disseminated messages throughout the school. Additional strategies included cafeteria reinforcements and opportunities for food recovery. A pilot test of the program was conducted in two schools using a quasi-experimental design. A pre/post survey was administered to 3rd–5th-grade students to measure changes in MSE behaviors, and analyses were conducted using the test of marginal homogeneity and t-test for independent samples to evaluate within- and between- group differences, respectively. In total, 169 students (n = 102 intervention and n = 67 comparison) completed both surveys. From baseline to follow-up, intervention students reported significantly increased self-efficacy to base lunch choices on body cues. A higher proportion of intervention than comparison students increased ratings regarding behavioral strategies to practice MSE and expectations of benefits from MSE.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread school closures, reducing access to school meals for millions of students previously participating in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National School Lunch Program (NSLP). School-prepared meals are, on average, more nutritious than home-prepared meals. In the absence of recent data measuring changes in children's diets during the pandemic, this article aims to provide conservative, back-of-the-envelope estimates of the nutritional impacts of the pandemic for school-aged children in the United States. We used administrative data from the USDA on the number of NSLP lunches served in 2019 and 2020 and nationally representative data from the USDA School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study on the quality of school-prepared and home-prepared lunches. We estimate changes in lunchtime calories and nutrients consumed by NSLP participants from March to November 2020, compared to the same months in 2019. We estimate that an NSLP participant receiving no school meals would increase their caloric consumption by 640 calories per week and reduce their consumption of nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D. Because 27 to 78 million fewer lunches were served per week in March-November 2020 compared to the previous year, nationally, students may have consumed 3 to 10 billion additional calories per week. As students return to school, it is vital to increase school meal participation and update nutrition policies to address potentially widening nutrition disparities.

Introduction: Significantly fewer children participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture–sponsored summer meal programs than in the federal school meal programs during the academic year. During the summer of 2021, several pandemic-related waivers supported more flexible operations for summer meal programs, such as allowing grab-and-go meals and the distribution of meals for multiple days at once. This study assessed how summer meal site characteristics and geographically targeted outreach methods were associated with summer meals served in 2021 in Connecticut. Methods: Weekly meal count data were requested from all sponsors of the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option. Data were received from 78 sponsors with 763 sites. Geographically targeted outreach (e.g., billboards, bus ads, and flyers) was tracked by location each week. Mixed methods ANOVA was used to examine the predictive value of outreach efforts, program characteristics, and meal distribution methods on meals served each week. The program characteristics examined included the hours open per week, the number of weeks serving meals, the maximum number of meals distributed at one time, and the number of open and closed sites in a school district. Results: Between June 21 and August 20, 2021, a total of 1,188,669 breakfasts and 1,389,347 lunches were served. Sites that were open more hours per week (mean=7.60 hours per week; range=0.17–35) and gave multiple meals to parents at each visit (mean=4.68 meals; range=1–15) reported greater rates of meal distribution. The outreach efforts assessed were not significantly associated with changes in meal distribution at nearby sites. Conclusions: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's waivers in response to COVID-19 permitted extended operating hours and multiple-meal distribution. These operational flexibilities should be considered for permanent regulation changes owing to their positive association with summer meal participation.

The article discusses the rapid emergence of "the Great Unbundling" in K–12 schooling, driven by a convergence of pandemic-induced changes and a parents' rights movement. Topics include the shift toward parents' control over discrete elements of their children's education, the rise of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) as a means of customization, and the impact of value pluralism on parental choices.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES Individuals in rural areas experience higher food insecurity. The School Breakfast Program (SBP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) reduce food insecurity. Yet, SBP participation remains lower than NSLP participation. This study aimed to examine differences in parental perception relative to the NSLP and the SBP in rural areas. METHODS An electronic survey was sent to parents in rural areas across Utah in school year 2016-2017. Parents (N=282) were asked about the importance of children eating healthy foods, what foods children should eat, their understanding of school meal requirements, and what they would change about school meals. Two multilevel models were built in the analysis--one model predicted perceptions of school lunch and the other predicted school breakfast perceptions. RESULTS Most parents (59.9%) perceived school lunch more positively than school breakfast. Higher perceptions of the SBP were significantly predicted by child breakfast non-participation (p=.018), parent understanding of child breakfast preference (p<.001), and parent perception of important breakfast components (p=.002). APPLICATION TO CHILD NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS Because parents viewed the SBP less positively than the NSLP, school nutrition staff may consider improvements and further promotion of the SBP. This may increase participation rates and benefit children and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is low among adolescents, and waste of these foods is high in school cafeterias. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of behavioural economic strategies and structural lunchroom changes on FV selection and waste in high-school lunch programmes using the collaborative efforts of teachers, food service directors and students. Methods: A pre-post quasi-experimental design was used to collect plate waste data for 3 days in the autumn and 3 days in the spring semesters. Five high-school cafeterias from three rural and two urban counties in Montana participated. School Lunch Advisory Councils selected and implemented behavioural economic strategies that focused on increasing selection and decreasing waste of FVs served on the main service line and salad bar. Plate waste data were collected using direct weighing and the quarter-waste method. Preintervention to postintervention plate waste amounts were compared using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Vegetable selection at the salad bar significantly increased (p <.05). Vegetable waste significantly decreased at the main service line (p <.05). Fruit selection and waste did not significantly change. Conclusion: Changes in the lunchroom environment through behavioural economic strategies provide one avenue to increase selection and decrease waste of vegetables, ultimately influencing overall dietary quality among high-school students and creating more sustainable food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The national school lunch program (NSLP) is crucial for providing healthy, inexpensive, or free lunches to children, thus benefiting society. Designing a distribution network for the program requires solving a location and routing problem. In this paper, first, we formulate a multi-objective non-linear integer programming formulation of the problem. Next, we develop a two-step approach since the problem is Np-hard. The first stage presents a K-mean clustering method that deals with routing decisions by determining the locations of food processing centers and allocating schools to these centers. The second stage offers a multi-objective mixed-integer linear mathematical model for finding the locations of distribution centers. Besides economic and environmental factors, we optimize travel time in the network as perishable items are involved. A weighted sum approach is presented for different weights of objectives. We provide a real case study in Turkey to demonstrate the applicability of the two-stage approach proposed in this study. The numerical results provide valuable information for decision-makers and authorities to prioritize and prepare action plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the food and nutrition security status of thousands of children in Israel. This commentary argues that policymakers should urgently readjust the Israeli school feeding program based on experts' advice. Children should have the right to select food items, grow the items, prepare the meals, and clean and care for the waste together. They should eat as a community in suitable school dining rooms. Access to the school feeding program should also be ensured during emergencies, school closures, isolation and quarantine, treatment, and rehabilitation of children. The food provided through the program should be integrated into the food baskets of their families, aimed at improving their households' food and nutrition security. It is important to activate a universal school feeding program that does not differentiate, separate, and stigmatize children, their households, their communities, and their schools. The United States National School Lunch Program is briefly reviewed, highlighting the importance of the program's routine monitoring, evaluation, and improvement. Engaging the children in planning the meals and in the production, preparedness, provision, and waste management processes are key to improving their involvement, health literacy and promotion, and their families' resilience. Implementing a holistic Food System Approach, including school gardening and "Farm to School," is suggested. It is recommended to urgently formulate a modern, universal, and comprehensive Israeli Food and Nutrition Security Plan, with a dedicated chapter for the upgraded School Feeding Programe with a section on its implementation in emergency preparedness, response, and Resilience. It should be anchored in the Food Systems framework and the One Health Approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The public health policies and school closures in response to the Covid‐19 pandemic have created disruptions in school meal programs. Research is needed to understand the changes in school food service revenue before and during the initial Covid‐19‐related school shutdowns. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study examining federal and state reimbursements as well as sales revenues for all public local education agencies (LEAs) in Maryland from school years (SY) 2018‐2019 and 2019‐2020 was conducted. Monthly changes in federal and state reimbursements for Child Nutrition Programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) were examined. Results: In the SY 2018‐2019, the total revenues from federal and state reimbursements for SBP, NSLP, SFSP, and at‐risk CACFP were $272.9 million; in comparison, for the SY 2019‐2020, the total revenues were $241.8 million (11.4% reduction from SY 2018‐2019). On average, the school shutdown (during March to June 2020) was associated with a $450,385 (p‐value <.01) reduction in federal and state reimbursements per LEA‐month (41% reduction). Conclusions: The school shutdown during the Covid‐19 pandemic was associated with a statistically significant reduction in school food service revenues across Maryland's public LEAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID‐19 pandemic disrupted access to school meal programs, putting children and adolescents at greater risk for food and nutrition insecurity. In response, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) waived restrictions on where free meal sites (FMS) operating through its summer meal programs could locate. This study assesses whether and how the distribution of FMS across communities and access to them changed after the waiver. Methods: This study used administrative and survey data on all FMS and census tracts in Texas for July 2019, before the waiver, and July 2020, after the waiver. Changes in the characteristics of tracts hosting an FMS and the share within accessible range of a site were evaluated using t‐tests. These were supplemented with multilevel conditional logit models linking tract characteristics to the likelihood of hosting an FMS and estimates for the number of children and adolescents with access to an FMS. Findings: More FMS were operating after the waiver, and these were spread across a wider range of census tracts. An estimated 213,158 additional children and adolescents gained access to an FMS, including those at highest risk for food and nutrition insecurity. Implications for School Health Policy: Relaxing restrictions on the location of FMS can expand children and adolescent's access to meals during expected and unexpected disruptions to school meal programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuing care facilities are a rapidly growing segment of senior living communities providing end-to-end solutions comprising independent living, assisted living, nursing home care, and ultimately hospice. All these establishments contain (in addition to other facilities associated with living, exercising, learning, activities, etc.) dining services managed by an interdisciplinary (finance, nutrition, dietitian, kitchen operations, hospitality, and procurement) team of executives, each with their own objective while cognizant of the overarching organizational, operational, and financial metrics. The residents of these facilities consume most of their meals at these dining facilities, necessitating that the food served meets the complete nutrition, dietary, cost, and operational requirements. Thus, the menu (often rotating every few weeks) of food items must be carefully chosen to be efficiently procured, processed, and served, all the while meeting the nutritional, dietary, and patron satisfaction constraints each put forth by the corresponding stakeholder. We address this complex, unwieldy, and large multiobjective optimization problem using mixed integer linear programming. We demonstrate how menu planners and chefs can analyze their decisions regarding menu structures and evaluate alternative menu interventions to improve menus' nutritional value while ensuring their residents' autonomy in making food choice decisions. Along the way, we interviewed various stakeholders, identified their objectives and constraints, gathered the necessary data, formulated and solved the resulting optimization problems, and produced demonstrably effectivemenus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fraud cases used in accounting often focus on financial statement frauds affecting large businesses—while asset misappropriation frauds and those affecting governments, nonprofits, and educational organizations receive less attention. This case describes how Judith Oakes stole approximately $3.1 million of lunch money from the Rialto Unified School District. This illustrative example demonstrates how weak controls and a capable employee led to a massive fraud wherein close relationships with administrators allowed the fraudster to perpetrate the fraud for many years. The purpose of this case is to provide a detailed example of an occupational fraud, exposing students to different theories explaining why people engage in fraud beyond the fraud triangle. While analyzing the case, students evaluate the fraud using common fraud theories including the fraud triangle (including several adaptions) as well as economic, psychological, and sociological theories. Furthermore, students will assess and design internal controls to detect, prevent, and deter fraud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Most children do not consume the recommended amount of fruit and vegetable (FV) servings. Changing the school food environment can be a cost-efficient, effective approach to improving children’s dietary quality. There is great popular support for school salad bars as a means to increase children’s FV intake within the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), yet empirical research is limited. Further, although FV consumption can facilitate healthy weight management if these foods replace high calorie items, there is a need to enhance understanding of salad bars’ influence on children’s diet quality and energy intake within the NSLP. This is particularly important to investigate in schools in communities characterized by high poverty, as students they serve are particularly likely to rely on school meals. Methods This report describes the design and rationale of a federally-funded investigation that uses validated methods to evaluate school salad bars. This district plans to install salad bars into 141 elementary schools over 5-years, facilitating the conduct of a waitlist control, cluster randomized controlled trial. Specifically, 12 pairs of matched schools will be randomly selected: half receiving a salad bar (Intervention) and half serving pre-portioned FVs only, standard under the NSLP (Control). Thus, groups will have different FV presentation methods; however, all schools will operate under a policy requiring students to take at least one FV serving. Schools will be matched on Title I status and percent of racial/ethnic minoritized students. Intake will be objectively assessed at lunch in each school pair, prior to (baseline), and 4–6 weeks after salad bars are installed (post), yielding ~ 14,160 lunch observations throughout the study duration. Cafeteria sales and NSLP participation data will be obtained to determine how salad bars impact revenues. Finally, implementation factors and cafeteria personnel’s perspectives will be assessed, to identify barriers and facilitators to salad bars use and inform sustainability efforts. Proposed methods and current status of this investigation due to COVID-19 are described. Discussion Results will have great potential to inform school nutrition policies and programs designed to improve dietary quality and reduce obesity. Trial registration Retrospectively registered (10/28/22) in clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05605483).

Specifically, using data from the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019, we examined the association between students who go to school hungry and their achievement in eighth-grade math. Food insecurity is the difficulty of accessing food due to limited resources. Finally, in India, Chakraborty and Jayaraman ([12]) examined the long-term effects of India's free lunch program, the world's largest free school meal program, on reading and math achievement among primary school students. Oneway in which societies have attempted to assist students who come to school hungry is to fund schools so that they can provide meals for students. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the limitations of using complementary and reduced-price lunch enrollment as a poverty indicator for American students. It mentions that the oversubscription of the National School Lunch Program is caused by its incentives, structure, and inadequate enforcement of income verification. It highlights that accurate identification of low-income students by schools and districts requires the exploration of alternative measures..

Objectives: COVID-19 caused stark increases in food insecurity. To maintain food provision, policy changes to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) were instated. This longitudinal study examined (1) food security patterns across the timeline of COVID-19; (2) the relationship among food security patterns, NSLP/SNAP use, and parent feeding practices; and (3) parent perceptions of NSLP/SNAP policy changes. Methods: A total of 333 US parents completed online surveys during the COVID-19 pandemic: May 2020 (T1), September 2020 (T2), and May 2021 (T3). Food security and parent feeding practices were reported at each time point; pre–COVID-19 behaviors were retrospectively reported at T1. Use and perceptions of NSLP/SNAP policy changes were reported at T3. We examined associations between food security and parent feeding practices using repeated-measures mixed models. Results: The percentage of parents with very low food security increased from pre–COVID-19 (9.6%) to T1 (29.1%) and remained elevated at T3 (16.8%). One-third (31.2%) of families fluctuated between food security and food insecurity, with 27.0% remaining food insecure at T3. Thirty percent of consistently food-insecure families reported not receiving school-provided meals, and 45% did not receive SNAP benefits. Most parents reported that pickup school meal sites (71.4%), Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards (51.4%), and increased SNAP benefits (79.6%) were beneficial. Initial changes in parent feeding practices reported at T1 returned to pre–COVID-19 levels by T3, yet concern for child overweight remained significantly elevated. Conclusion: Continued policy efforts to support food-insecure families via expanded food access in NSLP/SNAP are critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019, more than 7% of seniors (ages 60+) lived with a child under the age of 18. We examine how the presence of children in senior households relates to food insecurity and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation. We find that seniors living with children are more food insecure and have higher SNAP participation than other seniors, even after accounting for poverty status and other observable characteristics. The prevalence of multi‐generation and skip‐generation households explains, statistically, a small share of race/ethnicity gaps in food insecurity and SNAP. Changing living arrangements are an important consideration in addressing food insecurity among seniors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Over the years, the fruit and vegetable supply chain has encountered several challenges. From the harvesting stage until it reaches the consumer, a significant portion of fruits and vegetables gets wasted in the supply chain. As a result, the present study attempts to identify and analyze the growth barriers in the fresh produce supply chain (FPSC) in the Indian context. Design/methodology/approach: An integrated grey theory and DEMATEL based approach is used to analyze growth barriers in the FPSC. The growth barriers were analyzed and sorted based on their influence and importance relations. Findings: The results emphasize that the most critical growth barriers in the FPSC that should be addressed to ensure food waste reduction are as follows: Lack of cold chain facilities (B2), lack of transportation or logistic facilities (B1), lack of collaboration and information sharing between supply chain partners (B3), lack of proper quality and safety protocols (B15), a lack of processing and packaging facilities (B14), and poor productivity and efficiency (B13). Results are also verified by conducting a sensitivity analysis. Practical implications: The results are highly useful for policymakers to exploit growth barriers within the FPSC that require more attention. The obtained results show that the managers and policymakers need to utilize more funds to develop the cold chain facilities and logistics facilities to develop the FPSC. By improving the cold chain facilities, it is possible to improve the quality of food, make the food safe for human consumption, reduce waste, and increase the efficiency and productivity of the supply chain. Also, this study may encourage policymakers and industrial managers to adopt the most influential SCM practices for food waste reduction. Originality/value: Many researchers have attempted to analyze the causes of food waste and growth barriers in the FPSC using various decision-making methods. Still, no attempts are made to explore the causal relations among various growth barriers in FPSC through the integrated Grey-DEMATEL technique. Also, we devise policy implications in the light of the new farm bills or the Indian agricultural acts of 2020. Lack of cold chain facilities (B2) was found to be the critical driving barrier in the FPSC, as it influences multiple barriers. Also, there is a dire need for cold chain facilities and transportation systems to enhance productivity and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]