Safe School Meals Act
Rapid

In October 2024, Count on Mothers surveyed 709 mothers across 48 states and the political spectrum to understand views on the Safe School Meals Act, introduced in the Senate in September 2024. Mothers shared firsthand perspectives on school meal nutrition, food safety standards, and key provisions of the bill, including limits on heavy metals, pesticide residues, food additives, and toxic packaging. Findings were analyzed to assess the level of alignment across demographics and to identify the provisions mothers view as most critical for protecting children’s health.

The public report is available below.
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October 31, 2024
Related themes:

Family Economic Security and Cost Pressures

Shared Priorities and Cross-Partisan Alignment Among Mothers

  • Near-universal support for stronger food safety standards:
    More than 9 in 10 mothers agree that the FDA should set safe limits for heavy metals in school meals and reevaluate food additives, banning those linked to cancer, reproductive, or developmental harm.
  • Broad agreement on banning harmful substances:
    Nearly 9 in 10 mothers, with minimal variation across political affiliation, support banning pesticide residues, PFAS, phthalates, lead, bisphenols, and other toxic materials from school meals and food packaging.
  • Mixed trust in current FDA standards:
    Mothers are divided on whether they trust existing FDA standards for metals and pesticides, with roughly equal shares expressing trust, uncertainty, or distrust. College-educated mothers were more likely to express skepticism.
  • Support for investment in safer food systems:
    Strong majorities support grants to help manufacturers transition to toxic-free packaging and to assist farmers in remediating soil and water.
  • Clear priorities for school meals:
    Across open-ended responses, mothers emphasized that school meals should be healthy, nutritious, and free from potentially harmful ingredients, with many also calling for more fresh produce, whole foods, and fewer processed items.

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Methodology
Count on Mothers conducts nationwide surveys and qualitative research with U.S. mothers. Findings are analyzed and reported in aggregate to inform research publications and decision-making related to families.
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