Stop Shaming Food Insecurity

This week, Rep. Paul Ryan recounted a story about a food insecure student who “didn’t want a free lunch.” His speech emphasized parental involvement instead of free and reduced school meal programs.

While Ryan’s recounted tale was misattributed – he should have credited the story to a No Kid Hungry advocate who supports school meal programs – it raises the issue of stigma attached to school meals. 

How do we remove stigma from food insecurity and good nutrition?

First, let’s stop adding to the stigma. Ryan used the students’s rejection as an example to follow instead of an opportunity to help tackle food security shaming. More than one out of five children lives in a household with food insecurity. An estimated 16 million students go to school hungry. This is a broad issue that impacts children everywhere – and family members aren’t always able to help because they’re struggling too.

Second, let’s implement creative strategies that remove artificial barriers separating low-income students from their peers. Initiatives like NEA HIN’s Breakfast in the Classroom program tackles childhood hunger by bringing nutritious, portable breakfast meals to the classroom for all students, regardless of income. Grab-and-Go carts – accessible to all students – have also been a great success for schools. And because standing in the school meal line (instead of a la carte line) in a cafeteria can serve as a indicator of a student’s free lunch status, Boulder, CO, schools are intermingling school meals and a-la-carte items in the same line. Cashless systems also equalize the process for everyone, so it’s not apparent which students receive subsidized meals or which have been pre-paid by their parents.

Third, let’s talk about good nutrition for ALL STUDENTS. When stigma is associated with the cafeteria, students turn to alternative sources such as vending machines and a la cart items. That makes it even more important to make sure that schools are bagging the junk and providing nutritious choices when it comes to competitive foods. But more importantly, we should broaden this discussion and not just talk about how low-income kids are eating, because a good nutrition is critical to learning readiness – and every student deserves a strong start.

What do you think about stigmas associated food insecurity and good nutrition? How have you tackled these in your local school? Share your thoughts below!