WEDNESDAY, Sept. 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Students are hungry and stressed following the end of a pandemic-era policy that provided free school meals to all, a new study says.

Fewer kids ate at school after the universal free school meal program ended in the 2022-23 school year, researchers report in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

More students appeared to be hungry, and some expressed worries about the cost of meals to their teachers, researchers found.

"Teachers witness firsthand how hunger affects students' ability to learn, focus and participate in the classroom," lead researcher Deborah Olarte said in a news release. She is an assistant professor of nutrition at New York University.

"Their experiences provide valuable insight into how school meal policies can influence not only nutrition, but also student well-being and the overall classroom environment,” Olarte said.

For the study, researchers conducted interviews with 25 teachers who work at six elementary schools in Anchorage, Alaska.

The teachers reflected on their experiences during the 2021-22 school year, when a federal universal free school meal policy was in effect to make sure all students were properly fed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Breakfasts and lunches were provided to students free of charge.

“I think for a lot of families it just kind of reduced stress, knowing that they didn’t have to bother packing a lunch,” one teacher recalled. “If a kid forgot their lunch, they didn’t have to worry about calling home or having to pay.”

Some schoolkids were provided these free meals in their classrooms, as part of social distancing efforts during the pandemic, researchers said.

“I just found that eating in our classroom was really nice for community building, and to foster some good discussions,” one teacher said. “The lunchroom was super loud and chaotic, and kids would get overstimulated.”

Teachers also recounted what they saw and heard during the subsequent school year, when the policy ended amid other pandemic-era rollbacks.

“By the afternoon, the kids who didn’t eat enough lunch are zoning out,” a teacher told researchers. “They can’t focus, and it’s really hard to get them back on track.”

Added another: “If I have a kid who’s off, or kind of cross, or things aren’t right …  the first thing I ask them is, ‘Did you get breakfast this morning?’ And nine times out of 10 the answer will be no. And so, then I’m going to my cabinet to give them graham crackers.”

One teacher noted more students relying on a donation table, where other kids are encouraged to leave food items they don’t care to eat themselves.

“They come in, maybe take a few bits from there, and that’s what they’ve got to eat because they don’t have anything from home,” the teacher said. “Providing free school meals means every kid gets to eat, and kids should be eating, they need to.”

Recognizing the benefits of universal free school meals, a handful of states have implemented the program on their own, researchers said.

“There were no perceived benefits associated with ending free school meals for all students reported by the teachers,” researchers wrote in their paper.

“Overall, these findings also emphasize the need for policies that can ensure access to school meals,” the team concluded.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on school meals.

SOURCES: Elsevier, news release, Sept. 1, 2026; Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, September 2026