Lunches going to waste

WASHINGTON — Only one of every four low-income children in Utah who receive free or reduced-price school lunches during the academic year also receives federally funded lunches during the summer. But that is much better than average.

Utah ranks ninth best among the states and the District of Columbia, according to a study released Thursday by the Food Research & Action Center, a private group that seeks to eradicate hunger and nutrition problems in America.

The report, "Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation," said 26.7 percent of Utah children who received free or reduced-price lunches during the school year also received federal summer lunches in 2002. That is much higher than the 20.9 percent national average.

"Utah is doing well compared to others, but it could still do better — and feed more children," said Lynn Parker, director of child nutrition programs for FRAC.

California had the best percentage among the states, 42.3 percent. Oklahoma had the worst, 6.1 percent.

The study said that Utah provided free or reduced-price lunches to 115,266 low-income children during the 2001-02 school year. Only 30,790 of them received lunches during the summer last year at schools, camps, churches, parks and youth clubs.

Utah actually slipped a bit from the previous year, providing summer lunches to 1,280 fewer children and falling from seventh best nationally to ninth. "But Utah is still generally doing a fairly good job of keeping up its level of participation," Parker said.

FRAC was disappointed, however, in overall national performance.

It noted that participation in summer food programs increased by only 20,000 children nationally last year, while participation in free and reduced-price school lunch programs during the academic year had increased by 500,000 children.

"In a time of rising unemployment, falling wages and millions more families struggling to feed their children well, reaching only one in five needy children is unacceptable," said FRAC president Jim Weill.

The study also looked at benefits that would come if each state could serve 40 percent of eligible children during the summer, the level achieved by the best states now.

"Utah would be serving 15,317 more children, and that would pump $721,118 more into the economy," Parker said. "For summer programs, they still have to buy fruits and vegetables and other food — and that generates more economic activity. And everybody wants to get more dollars into the economy."

Weill also called for Congress to increase funding and expand summer nutrition programs as part of the annual agriculture appropriations bill.

"Now is the time to make these changes to feed children at their hungriest time of year: summer. Congress should do it and pay for it," he said.

He added that during the school year, daily school lunches and breakfasts provide more than half the nutrients that low-income children consume each weekday. He said when they lose access to those meals, their families are hard-pressed to fill the gap.

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