Meal Distribution Methods and Safety Measures During COVID-19 School Closures

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted unexpected school shutdowns, but the need for nutritious meals for the nation's children persisted. Many states and school districts quickly developed plans to distribute meals to children despite the school closings.

Objective

The goal of this study was to describe school distribution methods, meal types, and food safety procedures used in three states: Alabama, Arkansas, and Florida.

Study Design, Settings, Participants

A 62-item survey was sent to child nutrition directors (N=489) in fall 2022 concerning the meal distribution methods and safety measures related challenges faced during the COVID-19 school closures (spring 2020 to spring 2021).

Results

In spring 2020, child nutrition directors reported the reduced school meal participation (70%) and changing COVID-19 protocols were significant challenges (88%). Common challenges were lack of meal preparation supplies (92%), lack of food products (88%), additional and changing COVID-19 protocols (88%) in spring 2021. Staff shortages were also reported as a significant challenge (82%) which, in conjunction with food shortages, created challenges in serving planned menus (86%). At the pandemic onset in spring 2020, frequent cleaning/sanitation (78%) was the primary food safety effort. In spring 2021, the most common food safety efforts included frequent cleaning/sanitation (88%), discontinuing self-service stations (86%), enforcing social distancing (86%), and requiring students to wash hands or use sanitizer prior to meal service (82%). Meal distribution via school pickup was used in spring 2020 (70%), classroom meals in fall 2020 (76%), and cafeteria meals in spring 2021 (76%). More than 70% of child nutrition directors noted that the pandemic highlighted the importance of school meal programs, improved teamwork among school meal program staff, and promoted creativity in menu development.

Conclusions

While the COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for schools to provide nutritious meals, many practices adopted by child nutrition directors and their staff could be used during future disasters. The encouraging outcomes seen emphasize the resilience of the school meal program staff even during a global pandemic.

Funding

Foodservice Systems Management Education Council