The number of Michigan students eating school breakfast and lunch is increasing dramatically

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – The number of Michigan public school students eating breakfast at school increased 26 percent last school year, while the number of students eating lunch increased 20 percent, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

The dramatic increase came in the first year that Michigan offered universally free breakfast and lunch to 1.4 million Michigan public school students. As a result, the number of students eating breakfast at school every day increased from 379,000 to up to 477 thousand The number of children eating school lunches every day increased from 723,000 to up to 867 thousand

“Our children must eat a healthy breakfast and lunch to learn,” said State Superintendent Michael F. Rice. “Access to nutritious meals is good for Michigan students’ health and academic achievement. Michigan’s school meals program supports Goal 3 Michigan’s top ten strategic education plansto improve the health, safety and well-being of all students.”

The Michigan School Meals program combines federal and state funds to provide public school students with one free breakfast and one free lunch per day.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who signed the program, said: “We know it’s easier to focus on learning in class with a full stomach, and we believe that every child, no matter how much money their family has, deserves to eat.”

Michigan is one of only eight states with a statewide free meals program. The others are California, Colorado, New Mexico, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Vermont.

“Michigan public schools received more than $200 million in state reimbursement for breakfast and lunch that was supposed to be available to students free of charge,” said Dr. Diane Golzynski, assistant superintendent for business, health and library services at MDE. “It saves families money and time and improves students’ health.”

During the 2023-24 school year, Michigan schools ordered more than 8 million cases of food from Gordon Food Service in Michigan, an increase from just over 6.9 million cases in 2022-23.

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