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The Daily Insight

When did free lunch program start?

Author

Sarah Duran

Published Mar 26, 2026

1946
It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.

Why was the National School Lunch Program created?

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) was established under the National School Lunch Act (NSLA), signed by President Harry Truman in 1946, to “safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodi- ties and other foods.” The NSLP …

What is the SFSP?

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally-funded, state-administered program. SFSP reimburses program operators who serve free healthy meals and snacks to children and teens in low-income areas.

Where do school lunches originate?

Agencies that participate in the program are reimbursed from two sources: the USDA and the State of California. State reimbursement is paid for all free and reduced price meals. Federal reimbursement is paid for all free, reduced price, and paid meals.

Is the school lunch healthy?

School lunch is critical to student health and well-being, especially for low-income students—and ensures that students have nutrition they need throughout the day to learn. Research shows that receiving free or reduced-price school lunches reduces food insecurity, obesity rates, and poor health.

What is the difference between SSO and SFSP?

SSO sponsors receive the maximum reimbursement (meals multiplied by free rates for NSLP/SBP) without regard to their actual or budgeted costs. SFSP sponsors receive the maximum reimbursement (meals multiplied by rates) without regard to their actual or budgeted costs.

What is a SFSP sponsor?

SFSP reimburses approved sponsors for serving meals that meet Federal nutritional guidelines. Sponsors receive payments from USDA, through their state agencies, based on the number of meals they serve. All meals are served free to eligible children.

What does free reduced lunch mean?

A student from a household with an income at or below 130 percent of the poverty income threshold is eligible for free lunch. A student from a household with an income between 130 percent and up to 185 percent of the poverty threshold is eligible for reduced price lunch.

Is it OK to send your kid to bed without dinner?

Between dinner and breakfast – there is already a gap of more than 10 hours. Not eating dinner extends that gap to 14 to 16 hours – which is more than half the day. So it is definitely not OK if you are sending your child to bed without dinner.

What percent of students hate school lunches?

Overall, on a typical school day, 56 percent of students attending schools that offer an NSLP lunch eat the school lunch (Table VII. I). Thirty-eight percent eat a non-NSLP lunch, and 7 percent do not eat lunch.

What does SSO lunch mean?

The Seamless Summer Option (SSO) is a federal and state funded program that encourages school food authorities (SFA) participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) to provide meals in low-income areas during the summer.