In October 2024, Count on Mothers examined mothers' views on the Safe School Meals Act, federal legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate in September 2024 to strengthen FDA food safety standards for school meals. Drawing on a nationally representative sample of mothers across regions and the political spectrum, the survey evaluated the bill's six main provisions — FDA limits on heavy metals, bans on pesticide residues, restrictions on harmful packaging chemicals, food additive reevaluation, grants for farmers and manufacturers to transition to safer practices, and mothers' trust in current FDA standards.

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.
‍

Source: Count on Mothers, Mothers' Views on the Safe School Meals Act, October 2024. Nationally representative survey of U.S. mothers, n=709, weighted across political ideology and region (sample aligned to U.S. Gallup political-ideology breakdown among women). Research led by a PhD-credentialed researcher and an MPH data scientist. Findings shared with the office of Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) on the Safe School Meals Act.

Request a Briefing

See the Public Report

Download PDF file