School Lunch Debit Cards are Associated with Lower Nutrition and Higher Calories

Objective: Debit card payment systems are known to induce more frivolous purchases in adults, but their impact on children is unknown. Design and Methods: Using a national survey of 2,314 public school students in the United States, we compare food purchases in schools with debit-only systems to those in schools with both debit and cash options. Results: Students in debit and cash schools purchase more fresh fruit and vegetables and fewer total calories. Conclusions: Payment systems with cash options have a lower purchase incidence of less healthy foods and higher purchase incidence of more healthy foods