National School Lunch Program Assessment (Children's Issues, Laws and Programs Series)

NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM ASSESSMENT......Page 3
CONTENTS......Page 9
PREFACE......Page 11
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 13
What Is the Issue?......Page 14
What Did the Study Find?......Page 15
How Was the Study Conducted?......Page 16
ABBREVIATIONS......Page 17
OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM......Page 18
NSLP HISTORY AND TRENDS......Page 23
Participation and Costs Increase Overall......Page 24
CHARACTERISTICS OF NSLP PARTICIPANTS......Page 27
Participant Characteristics by Meal Type......Page 30
Preteens in All Categories Participate More than Other Age Groups......Page 32
Ethnic Composition Influenced by Incomes......Page 33
Income as a Ratio of Poverty by Meal Type......Page 35
ISSUES OF NSLP OUTCOMES: IS NSLP MAKING CHILDREN OVERWEIGHT TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURE?......Page 36
Donated Commodities......Page 37
Meal Requirements......Page 39
USDA’S COMMODITY DONATION PROGRAM......Page 40
Limited Effect on Agriculture Observed......Page 43
Effects on Diets: Some Good News…......Page 44
…And Some Challenges......Page 45
Effects on Childhood Overweight Uncertain......Page 46
The Bottom Line: Stay Tuned......Page 48
ISSUES OF NSLP OUTCOMES: JUGGLING NUTRITION, PARTICIPATION, AND THE BUDGET......Page 49
Efforts to Increase Acceptance of More Healthful Lunches......Page 50
Other Factors That Affect Participation and Plate Waste......Page 52
Meal Production Costs Increasing Faster than Revenues......Page 53
Revenue-Generating Competitive Foods under Scrutiny......Page 55
ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES: ACCESS AND INTEGRITY TRADEOFFS......Page 58
Erroneous Payments Closely Studied......Page 59
Documentation Requirements May Deter Applicants......Page 62
Direct Certification Removes a Barrier for Applicants......Page 63
CONCLUSIONS......Page 64
REFERENCES......Page 65
End Notes......Page 75
SUMMARY......Page 77
What Did the Project Find?......Page 78
Effects of Income Volatility on NSLP Error Rates......Page 79
INTRODUCTION......Page 80
SIPP: Description and Issue of Seam Bias......Page 84
INCOME VOLATILITY ANALYSIS......Page 88
Income Volatility by Income Group......Page 89
Eligibility Status Changes......Page 93
Income Volatility Trigger Events......Page 95
The Multivariate Discrete-Time Hazard Model......Page 98
Descriptive Statistics......Page 103
Results from the Hazard Models of NSLP Eligibility Entry and Exit......Page 107
Exit Results......Page 108
Entry Results......Page 112
NSLP Administrative Procedures......Page 117
Application and Certification......Page 118
Verification......Page 119
Studies on NSLP Overcertification Errors......Page 120
Income Changes Likely to Be Detected at Verification......Page 123
Annual versus Monthly Eligibility Determination......Page 129
CONCLUSIONS......Page 132
REFERENCES......Page 136
APPENDIX TABLE 1. COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION (CV) OF INCOME DATA: DISTRIBUTION OVER 1 YEAR BY AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME-TO-POVERTY STATUS......Page 141
APPENDIX TABLE 2. CHANGES IN ELIGIBILITY STATUS BY HOUSEHOLD OVER 1 YEAR AND 3 YEARS......Page 142
APPENDIX TABLE 3. MONTHLY (AUGUST) VERSUS ANNUAL ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATIONS: OVERLAP BETWEEN THREE DETERMINATIONS OF ELIGIBILITY, 1996-97, 1997-98, AND 1998-99 SCHOOL YEARS......Page 143
End Notes......Page 144
INTRODUCTION......Page 147
NUTRITION STANDARDS......Page 148
THE RECALL......Page 150
2009 AUTHORIZATION......Page 152
TESTIMONY OF KATE J. HOUSTON, FOOD, NUTRITION, AND CONSUMER SERVICES U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR......Page 153
CHAPTER SOURCES......Page 161
INDEX......Page 163