School staff perspectives on Universal Free Meals in the USA
2025
Sarah Martinelli | Emily M. Melnick | Francesco Acciai | Ashley St. Thomas | Punam Ohri-Vachaspati
Abstract Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Department of Agriculture allowed all US schools to offer meals at no cost regardless of family income, a policy known as Universal Free Meals (UFM). Despite the recognised benefits of UFM, the policy expired in June 2022. The goal of this study was to gather perceptions of school staff in Arizona about school meals, UFM and the discontinuation of UFM. Design: This mixed-method study collected data using an online survey. Open-ended survey questions were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis, and closed-ended questions were analysed using descriptive analysis. Setting: The survey was distributed to school staff in the two major metropolitan areas in Arizona between September and October 2022, soon after the UFM policy expired. Participants: Survey responses were received from 1255 school staff, including teachers, cafeteria staff, administrators and other staff. Results: Most school staff (93 %) were supportive of UFM, and the support was consistent across all staff categories and across different political leanings. Thematic analysis demonstrated that staff felt UFM helped to meet students’ basic needs, reduced stigma and lessened the burden on teachers to use their own resources to provide food to students. Despite strong support, some staff reported concerns about food quality, programme waste and time available for lunch. Conclusions: UFM policies were strongly supported by school staff, despite some concerns about programme implementation. Understanding these views is important to the discussion of expanding UFM policies in the USA and globally.
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