The big business of school meals

Abstract

Big corporations and food service companies are making millions of dollars from public school meal programs, often to the detriment of students’ health. Jennifer Gaddis explains how government policies and funding shortfalls have affected what is served is school cafeterias. Common cost-cutting measures include serving cheap and easy-to-prepare meals, selling junk food to raise revenues, or bringing in outside companies to manage cafeterias. Parents and community groups have pushed back, trying to bring scratch cooking and nutritious food back into their cafeterias.