GenYouth underscores school meals as essential for academic achievement

The US non-profit GenYouth works to equip schools with tools and resources to increase student access to nutrition and physical activity. The organization engages with schools and students “to understand, address and amplify their needs and perspectives.”

Nutrition Insight speaks to Karen Kafer, a registered dietitian and chief wellness officer at GenYouth, about its mission, goals and achievements.

“Sadly, in the US, one in five children is food insecure, and the number is even higher among communities of color,” Kafer highlights. “At GenYouth, we believe that the solution begins in schools where kids spend 180 days of the year. Thirty million students rely on school meals for a significant portion of their daily nutrition.” 

“We know that school meals deliver nutrient-rich foods (based on the US Dietary Guidelines) that kids are not getting enough of, like milk and fruits and vegetables and whole grains. A recent study found that school meals are the healthiest meals that kids are eating in the US.”

Kafer further asserts that the benefits of school meals are well documented as “the learning connection,” which includes improved academic performance, reduced absenteeism and reduced risk of chronic diseases. “So we really focus on scaling those solutions that can help make a difference in schools.” 

Alternative approaches to school meals

School lunches may be the most common food provision in most schools, but Kafer points out that there are alternatives that GenYouth is already delivering. 

She explains that the organization works with partners to raise funds and resources to increase equitable access to school meals and “alternative approaches to school meals, like grab-and-go carts put throughout the campus, smoothie programs or breakfast in the classroom,” which she says have “proven to be solutions that have a big impact.” 

Grab-and-go cart, smoothies and breakfast in the classroom are among the school nutrition alternatives championed by GenYouth.Between 2020 and the spring of 2024, GenYouth provided over 10,000 schools with nearly US$15 million to meet its goals with the help of partners. The (partners? or diff word) include Albertson’s, America’s Dairy Farmers, Blue Shield of California, Cub Foods, Florida Blue Foundation, Frito-Lay, Kroger, Quaker, Schreiber Foods, Tyson and PepsiCo Foundation.

In the same time frame, GenYouth has given public schools “hundreds” of grab-and-go meal carts. The organization says that this has increased school breakfast consumption among students by as much as 58%, compared to a nationwide increase of 1% during this period.

Meanwhile, smoothie kits and other smoothie equipment GenYouth delivers have increased school meal participation by up to 25%. The organization reports that children are enthusiastic about smoothies, and the food delivers a healthy combination of milk, yogurt and fruit.

Kafer tells us that school children who participate in school meals consume more milk, fruits and vegetables than those that do not. “School meals provide 70% of total dairy consumption by low income kids and school meals can be living textbooks for lifelong healthy eating for kids.”

Exercise and nutrition link

Alongside nutrition equipment grants aimed at improving school meal participation, GenYouth also aims to improve access to physical activity, which Kafer highlights as being inherently interlinked to nutrition security. 

“We have found that nutrition and physical activity are very much related,” she states. “Children who are more physically active report eating healthy more often, while those who are not as physically active skip meals more often, and then report they do not have the energy to be more physically active.”

“Since our inception, we have raised over US$200 million to support schools nationwide. As a result of our work, over 40 million children now have more equitable access to healthy school meals and physical activity,” she highlights.

“We have reached schools in 76,000 communities, among which 68% are considered high-need. There’s more work to be done and the greatest success stories are those of the students,” she continues.

School meals promote food justice by offering equitable access to healthier nutrition for all kids.Challenges to school nutrition 

Kafer explains that issues like time logistics and the stigma associated with school meals are among the hurdles that GenYouth and its partners have to tackle to meet their goals.

She says that the organization’s deficiency of resources can be challenging, as it receives “two to three times the number of applications for equipment grants than we can fund.”

“The need is great with schools, and we need to continue to work with partners to meet that need.”

She also points to the significance of policy on food and nutrition. “During the pandemic, universal free school meals were available to all students, and participation in school meals greatly increased. The pandemic changed the landscape of school nutrition and highlighted the critical role that school meals play for kids in supporting their health and their learning.”

However, when the pandemic was perceived to have ended, so did the program. “Eight states continue to offer healthy school meals for all kids, regardless of household income, and many more are looking at those policies.”

“We know that school meals promote food justice by offering equitable access to healthier nutrition for all kids. Our vision at GenYouth is to ensure all children are nourished and active to be their best selves.”