Nutrition Policy Institute researchers published a recent study showing that alternative breakfast models—such as breakfast served in the classroom and “second chance” breakfast served after the first school period—are associated with greater school breakfast participation among middle and high school…
The federal Child and Adult Care Food Program, or CACFP, is designed to bolster childhood food security and improve diet quality in early care and education settings. However, a new collaborative study from the Nutrition Policy Institute reveals a concerning trend: the program's administrative burdens…
A publication in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior by Nutrition Policy Institute researchers and collaborators exploring school food authorities perspectives on the impact of deimplementing Universal Free School Meal policies was voted by the journal as a Best Paper finalist. All…
Federal legislation signed in July 2025 eliminated funding for SNAP-Ed, the largest public-sector nutrition and physical activity education and promotion program in the US. A new research brief from the Nutrition Policy Institute details how California local health departments, or LHDs, worked to wind-down…
Nutrition Policy Institute released three research briefs that capture how the elimination of SNAP-Ed funding as a result of H.R.1 is impacting local health departments and community organizations as well their vision for the future of nutrition and physical activity programming. NPI …
Research Brief • July 2026 • Download PDF (148 MB)BackgroundFor over three decades, SNAP-Ed (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program- Education) worked to improve nutrition and physical activity (PA) behaviors among low-resource populations through education and policy, systems, and environmental (PSE)…
Research Brief • June 2026 • Download PDF (262 KB)CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL), California’s SNAP-Ed program, promotes healthy lifestyles through nutrition and physical activity interventions delivered in low-income communities across California. This program has been administered by four state…
Research Brief • May 2026 • Download PDF (238 KB)BackgroundPublic health initiatives that aim to positively impact nutrition and physical activity (PA) among children and youth often focus on the school setting, with an emphasis on interventions that change a school’s policies, systems, and environment (PSE)…
Nutrition Policy Institute’s latest research brief shows that California’s School Meals for All program provides meaningful financial relief for families across all income groups. In 2022-23, California launched School Meals for All to provide free school meals to all students enrolled in public schools…
Nutrition Policy Institute director Hannah Thompson was selected as a UCDC Presidential Faculty Fellow through the University of California Washington Program. The fellowship brings together UC faculty to Washington, DC after equipping them with the skills to engage with policymakers on Capitol Hill on…
