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Hyper-palatable foods in elementary school lunches: Availability and contributing factors in a national sample of US public schools
Dilsaver, Danielle Rohde, Kaitlyn Chollet-Hinton, Lynn Fazzino, Tera L.
Dilsaver, Danielle
Rohde, Kaitlyn
Chollet-Hinton, Lynn
Fazzino, Tera L.
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Abstract
Background
School cafeterias are a major point of influence for child nutrition. United States federal legislation requires the presence of important nutrients in school meals. However, legislation overlooks the potential presence of hyper-palatable foods in school lunches, a hypothesized factor that may influence children’s eating behavior and obesity risk. The study sought to 1) quantify the prevalence of hyper-palatable foods (HPF) served in US elementary school lunches; and 2) determine whether food hyper-palatability varied based on school geographic region (East/Central/West), urbanicity (urban/micropolitan/rural), or meal item (entrée/side/fruit or vegetable).
Methods
Lunch menu data (N = 18 menus; N = 1160 total foods) were collected from a sample of six states that represented geographic regions of the United States (Eastern/Central/Western; Northern/Southern) and that had variability in urbanicity (urban, micropolitan, and rural) within each state. A standardized definition from Fazzino et al (2019) was used to identify HPF in lunch menus.
Results
HPF comprised almost half of foods in school lunches (M = 47%; SD = 5%). Compared to fruit/vegetable items, entrées were >23 times more likely to be hyper-palatable and side dishes were >13 times more likely to be hyper-palatable (p values < .001). Geographic region and urbanicity were not significantly associated with food item hyper-palatability (p values >.05). The majority of entrée and side items contained meat/meat alternatives and/or grains and likely aligned with the US federal reimbursable meal components of meat/meat alternatives and/or grains.
Conclusions and implications
HPF comprised almost half of foods offered in elementary school lunches. Entrées and side items were most likely to be hyper-palatable. US school lunches may be a key point of regular exposure to HPF among young children, a risk factor that may elevate child obesity risk. Public policy regulating HPF in school meals may be needed to protect children’s health.
Description
Date
2023-02-16
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Public Library of Science
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Keywords
Schools, Food, Childhood obesity, Fats, Medical risk factors, United States, Urban geography, Regional geography
Citation
Dilsaver D, Rohde K, Chollet-Hinton L, Fazzino TL (2023) Hyper-palatable foods in elementary school lunches: Availability and contributing factors in a national sample of US public schools. PLoS ONE 18(2): e0281448. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281448