Most children and adolescents in the U.S. fall short of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, with disparities by race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geography. As K-12 students consume much of their daily nutrition from school meals, this scoping review sought to document reported impacts of Farm to School (F2S) programs on child-level food-related outcomes More

In light of efforts to decrease added sugar, the use of nonsugar sweeteners (NSS) in the food supply is increasing. Although there is concern about the health effects of NSS, particularly among children, little is known about parents’ perceptions of NSS as replacements for added sugar and whether NSS front-of-package labels (FOPLs) influence parents’ perceptions More

The effects of front-of-package nutrition labels among Latino adults in the U.S., including those with limited English proficiency, remains largely unknown. The Food and Drug Administration has considered a high-in label stating when foods are high in nutrients of concern, but the design differs from Latin American high-in labels in several ways. This study examined More

Given recent changes to nutrition policies and programs and the food environment landscape, the need for new evidence on how these changes impact nutrition, health, and food access is greater than ever. HER has also published a research agenda intended to provide a blueprint for immediate (i.e., 12-18 month) research needs to inform strategies to More

In 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a mandatory single front-of-package label (FOPL) listing low, medium, or high descriptors and the percent Daily Value (%DV) for saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. Effects of this scheme (referred to as Nutrition-Info-%DV) on consumer understanding, perceptions, and behaviors are largely unknown; thus, this study More

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Meal Programs (SMPs) are funded to ensure children from households with low incomes continue to have access to food over the summer months when most schools are closed for instruction. However, these programs are underutilized compared with school meal programs, in part due to barriers to accessing SMPs. More

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed a mandatory “Nutrition Info” label be placed on the front of packaged foods, showing whether products have low, medium, or high amounts of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. The agency has also considered a “High-In” labeling system, which would require labels on products with high levels More

Approximately 74% of schools in the United States participated in at least one farm-to-school (F2S) activity during the 2022 to 2023 school year. Relationships between specific F2S activities, particularly local food procurement, and health outcomes across multiple levels (individual, family, community, and population) have not been systematically reviewed and reported. This systematic review examined relationships More

At least eight U.S. states currently offer universal free school meal programs, providing meals at no cost to all students regardless of household income. While marketing campaigns may help increase student participation, limited research has examined what message content and design most effectively motivate parents to encourage school meal use. This qualitative study explored parents’ More

This study examined the impact of deimplementing universal free school meal (UFSM) policies compared with continuing UFSM at the state level. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in spring 2023 with 941 school food authorities (SFAs) across eight U.S. states, assessing outcomes such as meal participation, foodservice revenues, staffing needs, administrative burdens, stigma, and student meal More