AAEA Studies Suggest Improvements for School Meal Nutrition, Cost

PR Log (Press Release) – Nov 04, 2009 – MILWAUKEE –School meal programs are increasingly blamed for contributing to childhood obesity but are not given the financial support to implement healthier food choices, according to recent articles published in the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s online magazine Choices.

“The National School Lunch Program touches the lives of almost all school children in the United States today,” said Choices Guest Editor Helen H. Jensen. “Now is the time to address the current challenges of providing and paying for healthful meals to meet students’ needs.”

Federal meal programs are scheduled for reauthorization within the next year, notes Jensen, a professor of economics at Iowa State University and head of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development's Food and Nutrition Policy Division. The authors featured in this issue of Choices examine different aspects of school meal programs and provide policy makers with ways to improve them for future generations.

The collection of articles addresses various aspects of school meal programs. The first evaluates the nutritional adequacy of current programs and suggests how they should be improved. Another article focuses on commodity programs and how, if used properly, they can increase the nutritional value and cost efficiencies of federal programs. Two articles delve into the financial challenges facing federal school meal programs. A final article uses economic methods and common psychological theories to show how to promote healthier eating habits in the lunch room at a price schools can afford.

Choices is an online peer-reviewed magazine published by AAEA for readers interested in the policy and management of agriculture, the food industry, natural resources, rural communities and the environment. Choices is published quarterly and is available free online at www.ChoicesMagazine.org.

The Agricultural & Applied Economics Association is the nation’s largest professional association of agricultural and applied economists. AAEA strives to enhance the skills, knowledge and professional contribution of economists who help society solve problems related to agriculture, food, resources and economic development. Members work in various capacities including universities, private industry and government agencies. For more information, please visit www.aaea.org.