Healthy School Food Collaborative Evaluation: Results and Implications for Nutrition Policies and Programs

In 2013, the Healthy School Food Collaborative (HSFC), in partnership with the Louisiana Public Health Institute, successfully piloted an innovative research methodology that combined plate waste and menu analysis data to quantify student lunch consumption. The objectives of the study were to (1) assess differences in the nutritional content of school lunches between food service providers and (2) assess student consumption of school meals. The results proved the efficacy of the pilot’s methods and a second phase of evaluation was launched in 2014. The expanded evaluation added measurements of student satisfaction, fidelity monitoring, and scans of school policy and culture. To better inform policies and programs related to school nutrition, it is important that factors beyond school food offerings are understood and taken into consideration. A third phase of evaluation will commence in 2015 and examine a variety of interventions aimed at increasing student consumption of school lunch. This session will present an overview of results and a number of recommendations including evidence- based interventions that were identified to increase student school lunch consumption through addressing underlying school climate and policy issues. Research findings will be used to inform future school nutrition policies and ultimately translated into beneficial changes to the school meals program in New Orleans public schools and beyond.