The purpose of this project is to understand how advocates, the food industry, policymakers, and others have shaped discussions about school nutrition at the state and local level since the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) by systematically examining news coverage and legislative documents from selected states. The study will specifically examine: 1) How are debates about school meal and competitive food guidelines framed at the state and local level? 2) Who speaks about the guidelines and what do they say? 3) How does the conversation differ between states? and 4) How do arguments and framing differ, if at all, between the news and legislative testimony? The study will examine the range of debates and implementation strategies in key states, conduct a content analysis of state-level news coverage about school meal and competitive food guidelines since the passage of HHFKA, collect and evaluate legislative data from these debates, and compare these analyses to highlight implications and lessons learned for advocates.
Examining State and Local-level Debates about School Nutrition Guidelines since the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
Start Date: June 2016
ID #: CAS038
Organization: Public Health Institute (Berkeley Media Studies Group)
Project Lead: Lori Dorfman, DrPH, MPH
State: National
Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary
Focus Areas: Message Framing, Nutrition & Agriculture Policy and Programs, School & After School
Keywords: Competitive foods, Legal, Media, Nutrition standards, School meal programs, Snacks
Related Research
December 2016
Examining the Public Debate on School Food Nutrition Guidelines: Findings and Lessons Learned from an Analysis of News Coverage and Legislative Debates in 11 States
To understand how advocates, schools, the food industry, policymakers, and others have shaped discussions about school nutrition at the state and local level since the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA), Berkeley Media Studies Group and the Public Health Advocacy Institute systematically examined news coverage and legislative and … More
January 2020
The Food Environment in Juvenile Justice Residential Facilities in North Carolina
This research brief summarizes findings from an exploratory study of a diverse sample of juvenile justice residential facilities in North Carolina conducted by RTI International. The study examined food service operations, agency and facility level policies and practices pertaining to nutrition, participation in federal school nutrition programs, and additional food … More
October 2019
Farm-to-School Education Grants Reach Low-Income Children and Encourage Them to Learn About Fruits and Vegetables
For children from low-income families, school meals are a significant portion of daily caloric intake and hence an opportunity to address food insecurity. Many states have pursued legislation to institutionalize programs such as farm to school that aim to improve the quality of school meals and acceptance of healthy foods … More