School Feeding Programs

At WK Kellogg Co, we know that goodness is about more than great-tasting products—it’s about the greater good for all. That’s why, building on our 118-year legacy of fighting hunger and feeding people in need, we are dedicated to furthering our support of school feeding programs to help children reach their full potential. We stay actively engaged in the food industry by partnering with organizations and leading initiatives to eliminate child hunger, meet school needs and uphold sustainable practices. Through partnerships with No Kid Hungry and Food Research and Action Center, we are committed to providing programming and support to expand school breakfast programs for kids. WK Kellogg’s is also a proud sponsor of SNA, working to bring innovative meal solutions to schools across the country.

School feeding programs in North America and around the world are gaining momentum and support as the multitude of benefits becomes apparent. In fact, building upon previous research, the Kellogg Company Fund commissioned additional research in 2022 to understand school meals programs and the social benefits they can provide. School breakfast programs are an established intervention in schools and communities, and while their primary aim is to provide healthy food where food insecurity may be an issue, the research found that many have evolved to provide the opportunity to complete homework, play and socialize. This can lead to benefits, such as:

• Supporting children's social development, including as a sense of belonging, security and identity
• Improving students' classroom behavior; and
• Helping children who attend breakfast programs get excited about going to school.

The research also found that the stigma associated with participation in school breakfast programs was reduced when all children attended the programs. Additionally, as have been shown repeatedly, eating a nutritious breakfast can help reduce malnutrition and obesity, even for children who eat a second breakfast at school. Finally, there is a growing body of work suggesting that eating breakfast can be an indicator of improved mental health, as evidenced by lower stress, anxiety and depression levels among children.

The social impact of eating breakfast at school continues to be an interesting and growing area of research. Furthermore, there is strong evidence that school feeding programs can grow to become community-building experiences that provide the opportunity to help create a sense of belonging in students and enable the development of positive relationships between students, teachers and staff.