Expert Perspective

Policy Change at All Levels Improve Kids’ Health

Kids use tongs to grab salad for a school lunch

Published

December 3rd, 2024

Federal

Federal efforts to support child nutrition and improve equity in policymaking have come a long way in 20 years.

WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, now provides children and families with more money for fruits and vegetables, greater choices of qualifying foods and beverages, and a wider range of culturally relevant foods.

Nutrition standards for school meals and snacks were updated for the first time in 30 years—and more students are now attending schools that offer free, healthy school meals to all of their students.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been updated to reflect the latest science.

The new Summer EBT program is supporting millions of children, helping to combat summer hunger and improve nutrition.

We’ve also seen infusions of funding for and improved flexibility in SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is the largest federal nutrition programs and is linked to improved health outcomes.

In addition to those longer-term changes, the federal government made several important updates during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to the barriers that prevent people from accessing healthy food. Leaders gave all students access to free school meals, increased SNAP benefits, added flexibility for WIC participants, and expanded the Child Tax Credit—to incredible results.

Yet, despite the success of these measures in increasing access to affordable healthy foods, some of these successful federal policies were rolled back, and some policy makers have pushed to cut funding, to weaken nutrition standards, or to make it harder to access these programs. Studies on the implications of these potential cuts help underscore the value of making nutrition programs accessible and equitable.

Federal policies have the power to improve the health and wellbeing of millions of people across the country. That’s why it’s so critically important that public policy remains supportive of all children and families.

“If we want to build a healthy future for our country, we need to make sure that all kids have access to the nutrition they need for their health and learning. I’m proud of the work FRAC has done and the role we continue to play in building a nation free from hunger.”

Crystal FitzSimons, Interim President of the Food Research and Action Center

State

At the state level, government leaders and advocates have played a critical role in shaping child nutrition policies. They established nutrition standards for school meals, built a farm-to-school network, and expanded enrollment in federal nutrition programs like SNAP and WIC. States can act as a bridge, helping scale community solutions that are working and stepping up to fill the gaps when federal efforts fall short.

The rollback of the federal universal school meals effort after the pandemic highlighted the importance of state leadership. The clear benefits of offering free meals at school and over the summer drove states to take the helm. In addition to the eight states providing free school meals to kids—California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont—37 states, DC, certain U.S. territories, and certain U.S. tribes have opted into SUN Bucks (Summer EBT), a new national program that provides these meals when school is out, too.

As states continue to innovate and fill gaps, they are not only responding to immediate needs but also laying the groundwork for equitable nutrition policies in the future.

“The groundswell of state action on school meals—and especially policies that prioritize farm-to-school programs, local food procurement, and other values-aligned initiatives—provides an inspiring model for what could be achieved for children across the country if universal school meals were reinstated on the federal level.”

Karen Spangler, Policy Director at National Farm to School Network

Local

Local communities have been the proving grounds for what can be achieved on a broader scale. Many of today’s federal nutrition policies began as successful pilots at the local level. By commissioning research to document this success, RWJF has helped build an evidence base that encouraged policymakers to institute many of these policies nationwide. Examples of this include labeling menus at restaurants, accepting SNAP benefits at farmers’ markets, and offering incentives to increase access to fruits and vegetables.

Local governments are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of the people in their communities. They are including equitable practices in their policies—like taxes on sugary drinks—and ensuring these policies meet local needs.

These grassroots efforts have improved access to healthy food and sparked broader conversations about the role of local governance in building healthier communities.

“Partnering with communities is essential to creating effective policy change at the local level. By centering their knowledge and needs in every step of the policy process, we can create more equitable and sustainable solutions.”

April Wallace, National Equity Strategy and Partnerships Manager for Voices for Healthy Kids

Policy Change at All Levels Improve Kids’ Health

“If we want to build a healthy future for our country, we need to make sure that all kids have access to the nutrition they need for their health and learning. I’m proud of the work FRAC has done and the role we continue to play in building a nation free from hunger.”

“Partnering with communities is essential to creating effective policy change at the local level. By centering their knowledge and needs in every step of the policy process, we can create more equitable and sustainable solutions.”

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