Written by: Alexina Cather

Our nation’s school food program, a vital lifeline for the nearly 14 million food-insecure children in America, has a long history dating back to the Great Depression. This program began informally by the government as an effort to fund food programs at schools where children were in need and to simultaneously provide a market for farmers. The government purchased farmers’ crops to stabilize prices and distributed them to schools. The program was not just a means of providing food for children, but also a crucial way to support local farmers and the agriculture sector. 

Since its early days, the school food program has always been about the children and farmers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has managed the program, not the Department of Education (DOE), because it serves both these groups. 

In 1946, President Harry Truman formalized the program by signing the National School Lunch Act. In his signing remarks, he wisely stated, “No nation is any healthier than its children or more prosperous than its farmers.” 

However, the USDA’s recent $1 billion cut to school food programs, farm-to-school initiatives, and food banks is a devastating blow to the very systems that support the health and well-being of our most vulnerable children and communities. At a time when food insecurity and food costs are on the rise, school meals and food banks are a lifeline for millions of Americans. This decision jeopardizes efforts to ensure every student has access to nutritious meals and dismantles critical local food systems that support small and mid-scale farmers. More deeply, these cuts reflect misplaced priorities and a failure to recognize the importance of investing in the long-term health of our nation’s future. 

Food insecurity impacts 17 percent of households with children in the United States. For many of these children, the meals they receive at school are the only nutritious meals they will have each day. School food programs play a critical role in fighting hunger, reducing malnutrition, and ensuring that all children, regardless of their socioeconomic status, have access to the nutrients they need to thrive. Studies show that children who have access to healthy meals at school perform better academically and are healthier overall. These cuts directly threaten those positive outcomes. 

At Wellness in the Schools, we believe that every child deserves access to nutritious, scratch-cooked, and culturally inclusive meals and that these meals should come from sources that support local farmers and the communities they serve. We advocate for policies that strengthen school food programs and support farm-to-school initiatives, ensuring that all students receive fresh, healthy meals that contribute to their overall well-being and academic success. 

Children need healthier environments to live, learn, and thrive, and at Wellness in the Schools, we know those often begin in public school cafeterias.