Working Paper: NBER ID: w29395
Authors: Michelle M. Marcus; Katherine G. Yewell
Abstract: We find access to universal free school meals through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) had a meaningful impact on grocery spending for households with children, with monthly food purchases declining by about $11, or 5 percent. For households in zip codes with higher exposure, the decline is as high as $39 per month, or 19 percent. The composition of food purchases also changes after CEP, with low income households experiencing a 3 percent improvement in dietary quality. Finally, CEP exposure is associated with an almost 5 percent decline in households classified as food insecure. Our results on the heterogeneous effects of CEP exposure by prior free/reduced price lunch eligibility reveal benefits in terms of both spending, dietary composition, and food insecurity for previously eligible low-income families, suggesting that the stigma of free school meals may be declining after universal access.
Keywords: Free School Meals; Household Food Purchases; Community Eligibility Provision; Food Security; Diet Quality
JEL Codes: H51; I12; I38
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) (I24) | grocery spending (D19) |
| higher CEP exposure (Q51) | grocery spending (D19) |
| Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) (I24) | dietary quality (L15) |
| Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) (I24) | food insecurity (I32) |
| prior eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch (I24) | benefits from CEP (D61) |