All Michigan public school students have access to free breakfast and lunch, but do they have enough time to actually eat those meals?
In April, we put out a survey asking parents and guardians how much time their kids have to eat lunch at school. Out of the 165 responses we got, 87.9% of people said their child has told them they don’t have enough time to eat lunch.
The CDC recommends that students should have at least 20 minutes -- once they are seated -- to eat their meal and socialize. About half of school districts across the nation do not require or recommend that schools provide students with at least 20 minutes to eat.
There is an important difference in the total lunch period time and the time the student has to actually eat the meal. Things like using the bathroom, washing their hands, walking to where the meal is served, waiting in line, waiting to pay, walking to the table, and bussing trays after the meal take away from the time they actually have to eat.
“I worked as a school cook for years. Twenty minutes is not enough time to eat. If it was a popular lunch (pizza, tacos, Bosco sticks) I could go as fast as I could serve, but when you are getting 50 to 90 kids a line, it is hard to get them all through,” a former school cook with a student in school in Macomb County wrote.
Around 67% of people said their child has skipped lunch because they were worried about not having enough time. Around 93% of people said their child had to throw away a meal they did not finish because they ran out of time to eat. Only eight people said their child did not have to throw away a meal.
“The short times create an unhealthy relationship with food. Needing to eat fast and possibly not realizing they’re full or the complete opposite, not being able to get enough to eat because they don’t have time after eating it,” an Oakland County parent wrote.
According to the CDC, students have said that not having enough time to eat is a reason they do not buy lunch through the school. Studies have shown that providing more time to eat can increase the amount of food eaten, increase amount of fruits and vegetables eaten, decrease plate waste, and more.
Around half of the people who responded said their child brings a packed lunch to school. Only 37% said the child eats the school-provided lunch. Around 1% said they skip lunch.
“As a former lunch aide, I found that 20 minutes is not enough time for kids of any age. It ends up being stressful on the children and discourages them from eating a full meal. It’s been no exception for my own children. It is just as stressful for me now as a parent as it was for me to witness as an employee,” an Oakland County parent wrote.
How can we make sure students have enough time to eat lunch?
The CDC has a list of ideas and best practices for schools and parents to consider to ensure students have enough time to eat lunch.
Here is what the CDC recommends schools do:
Schools should make sure lunch periods are longer than 20 minutes.
Recess should be scheduled before lunch, and if that’s not available they should require a specific amount of time for sitting and eating before students go out to play.
Paraprofessionals should be trained to create comfortable eating environments. Schools can also ask for parent volunteers to help supervise students during lunch to help them open milk, condiments, and other prepacked items.
School nutrition programs should make sure staff is properly trained so meal service and payment is efficient. Wait times should be minimized by adding serving lines, rearranging points of service so they are easier to access, or offering preorder of meals.
The CDC offered the following tips for parents, staff, and community members:
Parents, staff, and community members should join the school’s wellness team or district wellness committee that sets the policies. They should use their voice to ensure students have at least 20 minutes of seat time to eat lunch.
Make sure district and school administrators know about the importance of school lunch and the importance of adequate seat time.