Schools in Hillsborough County started giving free lunch to all students during the 2020-2021 schoolyear. Breakfast and lunch meals were available to students of 18 years and under. At first glance, this may seem like a helpful solution; however it may actually only pose more challenges for schools long-term.

“About 20 million of those meals are free; eight million are paid in full, and two million are served at a reduced price,” reads an excerpt from a print published by the School Nutrition. It is widely thought to have the potential to save students of #lunchshaming. 

However, mandating free lunch for all the students may not be the best solution. In short, free food is not actually free - someone is going to pay or has already paid for it. Taxpayers’ hard-earned money will be used to provide free lunch for all, which quickly becomes exceedingly costly (especially when considering funds to pay for additional staff to prepare the food, coordinate the meals, and supervise the students).

Additionally, the lunches that are provided for free may not be the most nutritious. Free lunch at school usually means “fast food” -- something that the school can prepare quickly for breakfast and then for lunch. The options they provide may not be entirely healthy, well-prepared, or even preferred by the students eating them; this will only lead to more waste, students still going hungry, and further loss of funds. 

Overall, while students should not be going hungry, free lunch for all, provided by the schools, may not be the best solution. Lunch should be free or reduced for only those students who depend upon school for free food as they come from economically weak families. Anything else would be wasteful, and a wrongful allocation of funds that could be better-used elsewhere.