Background: School meals were served free of charge to all public school students in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some students still did not participate. Methods: In this mixed-methods study, surveys and interviews were conducted with food service directors (FSDs) from California (n = 556 surveys; n = 29 interviews) and…

In this article, the authors describe how they used student's complaints about limited salad choices in the cafeteria as the focus of a class project. Following steps of the Project Citizen protocol of the Center for Civic Education, the authors facilitated students' efforts, which included researching the problem, talking with adult…

This report provides updated results from one of the most comprehensive studies of health-related policies and practices in U.S. public middle and high schools to date, which was released in August 2011. The major findings and trends presented in this report describe issues relevant to childhood obesity for four school years, from 2006-07 to…

Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this project was to identify and confirm best practices for increasing high school student participation and satisfaction in school nutrition (SN) programs operating under the regulations of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Methods: Using a modified best practices research model (BPRM; Mold & Gregory,…

Emphasuzes the importance of satisfying student tastes in menu planning. (RA)

Describes a flexible foodservice program that provides both a Type A lunch or Type A lunch components a la carte. (JF)

A Cornell University study of both student participation in lunch programs and the adequacy of foodservice programs. (JF)

A Pennsylvania school district served meals to nearly 80 percent of the students this past year. Student participation was achieved by asking students' opinions, monitoring food quality, redesigning menus, increasing staff morale, providing a pleasant cafeteria atmosphere, and sponsoring nutrition programs. (MLF)

A marketing survey to determine the factors that influenced Wichita, Kansas students and faculty to participate or not to participate in the school lunch program--and the employment of a marketing specialist to use the results of the survey--increased participation by more than 10 percent. (MLF)

In this satellite system, all food is prepared fresh daily in the junior high school and shipped in refrigerated trucks to other school locations. Explains how increasing operational costs forced the Long Branch, New Jersey, School District to seek the aid of a food management company to plan and implement this new program. (Author)

Changes in the marketing and management of a Pennsylvania food service program made it more attractive to students. An increase in student participation and operational efficiency yielded profitability in food service operations. (MLF)

The food director of the Milwaukee Public Schools offers his advice: discover what kids want, and then give it to them; snack bars and vendors must not compete with school lunches; and you must have professionals running the food service. (Author/MLF)

Successful school food service programs require cooperation between employees and students and between the director and individual managers. Student participation can be increased by the use of marketing techniques and listening to students' requests. (MLF)

The impact of the 1977 Department of Agriculture regulations to vary minimum meal portion sizes for children is analyzed as it related to student participation in school lunch programs. (CT)

Suggestions to increase student participation in school lunch programs include changing the delivery systems, solicitation of student input, and improving the cafeteria environment. (Author/MLF)