Making Time for Lunch

For Everyone

At a glance

  • Schools should provide at least 20 minutes of seat time for students to have their meal and socialize.
  • Providing more time for lunch allows students to eat more of their meal and reduces food waste.
Three students eating lunch at a table together in a school cafeteria.

Background

  • Schools should ensure that once students have their meal and are seated (seat time), they have at least 20 minutes to eat and socialize. About half of school districts nationwide do not have this requirement or recommendation.
  • Some students report that insufficient time to eat is a key reason for not participating in the school lunch program.

What is seat time?

  • Seat time is the actual time a student spends eating, not the total lunch period and not including waiting in line to select and pay for the meal.
  • Many routine activities can shorten time to eat, such as using the restroom, handwashing, walking to where the meal is served, waiting in line, selecting food, waiting to pay, walking to the table, socializing with friends, and bussing trays after the meal.

What are the benefits of more time for lunch?

Studies have shown that providing more time for lunch is associated with:

  • Increased consumption of food and key nutrients.
  • Increased selection of a fruit.
  • More consumption of fruits and vegetables, lunch entrée, and milk.
  • Less food waste.

Ways to help students have enough time to eat lunch

  • Schools can schedule lunch periods that are longer than 20 minutes.
  • School nutrition programs can minimize wait time in lines by adding serving lines, rearranging points of service, or offering preordering of meals.
  • Parents, school staff, and community members can educate district and school administrators about the importance of school lunch and adequate seat time.
  • States can consider policies that address sufficient seat time, which is significantly associated with schools providing at least 30 minutes for lunch.

Resource

Making Time for School Lunch
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Content Source
Division of Adolescent and School Health; National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
About This Page
Published: November 19, 2024
Updated: July 23, 2024

This page was last updated on this date. Updates may include minor edits, image changes, or other modifications to page content.

Reviewed: July 23, 2024

The information on this page was last reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy.

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