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
September 2020
Schools Find Success in Reducing Sodium in Meals
Strong nutrition standards for school meals, consistent with evidence-based recommendations, position children for optimal health and wellbeing. Strong science supports the link between lowering sodium intake and better health. This new issue brief from Healthy Eating Research examines the recent history of sodium standards for school meals. It highlights current sodium intake … More
September 2020
Urban School Food Infrastructure: Current Issues, Challenges, and Solutions
In the next year, an estimated 1 in 4 children will experience food insecurity (up from 1 in 6, pre-pandemic), disproportionately impacting children in low-income households and racial/ethnic minorities. To mediate loss of school meals during closures and reduce COVID-19 exposure, Congress authorized the USDA to permit local education authorities … More