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How Would Changes to Community Eligibility Provision Thresholds Affect Child Diet Quality?

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  • Al Amin, Md Al
  • Smith, Travis

Abstract

This study models the impact of adjusting Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) eligibility thresholds on child diet quality across the United States. CEP enables qualified educational institutions and districts to offer complimentary breakfast and lunch to all students, with eligibility criteria assessed via the Identified Student Percentage (ISP), a metric indicating categorical eligibility through programs such as SNAP and TANF. Historically, schools have generally required an ISP of at least 40% to qualify for CEP; however, in 2023, the USDA reduced this minimum threshold to 25%, thereby expanding the population of schools eligible to offer universal free school meals. We compile a school-level administrative panel that details CEP eligibility and participation from academic years 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 and associate these records with school characteristics obtained from the National Center for Education Statistics. To translate changes in CEP eligibility into predicted diet quality, we utilize data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey’s dietary recall records spanning 2013 to 2018. An individual fixed-effects model is employed to estimate children’s Healthy Eating Index scores, considering the proportion of daily caloric intake derived from school food and away-from-home food, with home food serving as the baseline category. We subsequently simulate modifications in school food consumption under various CEP threshold scenarios and forecast the corresponding alterations in diet quality. The analysis recognizes the schools and student populations most affected by threshold adjustments and offers policy-relevant insights into how expanding or limiting universal free school meal access could influence child nutrition.

Suggested Citation

  • Al Amin, Md Al & Smith, Travis, 2026. "How Would Changes to Community Eligibility Provision Thresholds Affect Child Diet Quality?," 2026 Annual Meeting, July 26 - 28, 2026, Kansas City, Missouri 404568, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea26:404568
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.404568
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Travis A. Smith, 2017. "Do School Food Programs Improve Child Dietary Quality?," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 99(2), pages 339-356.
    2. Travis A. Smith & Joanne Guthrie & Biing‐Hwan Lin & Alexander Stevens, 2026. "Pandemic‐induced changes in food acquisitions: Implications for child diet quality in the United States," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 108(1), pages 363-382, January.
    3. Philip M. Gleason & Carol W. Suitor, 2003. "Eating at School: How the National School Lunch Program Affects Children's Diets," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 85(4), pages 1047-1061.
    4. Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, 2009. "Do School Lunches Contribute to Childhood Obesity?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 44(3).
    5. Belot, Michèle & James, Jonathan, 2011. "Healthy school meals and educational outcomes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 489-504, May.
    6. Frisvold, David E., 2015. "Nutrition and cognitive achievement: An evaluation of the School Breakfast Program," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 91-104.
    7. Daniel L. Millimet & Rusty Tchernis & Muna Husain, 2010. "School Nutrition Programs and the Incidence of Childhood Obesity," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 45(3).
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