Back to school means back-to-school shopping. New clothes, backpacks, school supplies — it all adds up, and can take a bite out of your budget.
But something you might not be planning for could end up costing more than it has in the past: your child’s lunch. A recent Deloitte survey of 1,200 American parents found that 48% of parents and caregivers expect the cost of school lunch to be higher than last year [1]. That’s not surprising, considering that grocery costs have risen 23% in the past five years.
The survey found that compared with back-to-school time in 2024, a packed lunch will cost on average 3% more this year. In 2024 there was no increase, but for the school year starting in 2023, the average lunch cost was up 6% from the previous year.
Must Read
- Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don’t have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here’s how
- I’m 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don’t panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast)
- Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here’s what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP
According to Deloitte, the cost of a “classic” lunch consisting of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, baby carrots, cookies, apple and milk will cost $4.84, a 6% increase over last year this time. For a range of lunches over a week, including PB&J; a lunch with a pre-packaged meat, cheese and crackers kit; a salad lunch; a chicken and avocado quesadilla; and one day eating at the cafeteria, the average for the week was $6.15, a 3% increase over 2024.
Deloitte has also tracked frugal food shopping over multiple years and has found that it has been trending upwards since October 2024. The survey found that in order to manage climbing prices, people will switch to store brands, choose something cheaper for the main item in a lunch or trim other household expenses to make up for higher food prices.
The number of families who choose to send their kids to school with a packed lunch sits at 42%, or about four in 10. This is in spite of the fact that school-provided lunches are on average about $3.00, which is less than half the cost of an average brown-bag lunch.
Politics in your lunch pail
According to a report from MarketWatch, school cafeterias are also going to be impacted financially, and not just due to rising food prices [2]. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as food stamps, is facing a 20% funding cut, which was included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
SNAP provides free-meal eligibility, as well as food benefits for low-income families. According to the Urban Institute, at least 18.3 million students could lose access to free meals [3].
The MarketWatch report says that the changes to SNAP’s eligibility rules, along with stricter work requirements, may make it harder for families to qualify or maintain their benefits. If families see their benefits cut, they may opt to leave the program and their children would lose their direct certification, meaning they aren’t automatically eligible for free lunch at school.
The report also notes that states with Healthy School Meals for All programs could also be forced to reduce SNAP benefits or eligibility because of the federal funding cuts. The number of high-poverty schools eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision — which provides free meals without requiring families to fill out SNAP applications — is also expected to drop due to the cuts to SNAP.
And what about tariffs? Climbing food prices may be more noticeable for consumers compared to items they’re buying for back to school, such as backpacks or stationery supplies. This is because retailers, in anticipation of possible price hikes due to tariffs, were able to stockpile non-perishable items. Of course, the same is not possible when it comes to perishable food items.
According to Chamber of Commerce data included in the MarketWatch report, the average effective tariff rate on dairy, eggs and honey climbed from 6.12% in 2024 to 11.26% today, while the tariff rate on meat increased from 1.97% to 10.87%.
Read more: This is how much US drivers saved on car insurance when they switched providers, according to a new Consumer Reports survey of 140,000 policyholders
How can you budget for higher food prices
In the Deloitte survey, 44% of caregivers responsible for school lunches identified the question, “What are we making for school lunch?” as a significant challenge. Respondents indicated that the most helpful solution would be a weekly meal plan featuring kid-friendly recipes.
Sit down with your kids and ask them to come up with ideas of what they want for lunch, and then translate that into a plan for each day of the week. After you’ve decided on a menu, you can break down the ingredients and write out a grocery list. If you have a meal plan, grocery list and a budget for grocery spending, you’re less likely to make impulse purchases, or lose money through food waste.
Meal prepping not only ensures that you have food ready throughout the week, but also allows you to freeze portions for weeks that you fall behind on your plan.
You can also cut your grocery bill by double-checking your pantry before you shop, buying items in bulk (especially non-perishables that you know you’ll use), checking flyers for what’s on sale or using coupon apps, buying meat only when it’s on sale (and freezing what you won’t use right away) and buying produce that’s in season.
The biggest obstacle to sticking to your budget for food is often sticking to another budget — time. Not having time set aside for meal planning, meal prepping and grocery shopping is what will lead to those last-minute decisions on what’s for lunch.
When you’re crunched for time, you’ll often be forced to make the more expensive choice of either a prepackaged meal, or eating takeout. These options will always cost more, and can also end up being less nutritious.
What to read next
- How much cash do you plan to keep on hand after you retire? Here are 3 of the biggest reasons you’ll need a substantial stash of savings in retirement
- There’s still a 35% chance of a recession hitting the American economy this year — protect your retirement savings with these 5 essential money moves ASAP
- This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchase. Here’s how to buy the coveted asset in bulk
- Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
Join 200,000+ readers and get Moneywise’s best stories and exclusive interviews first — clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.
Article sources
At Moneywise, we consider it our responsibility to produce accurate and trustworthy content people can rely on to inform their financial decisions. We rely on vetted sources such as government data, financial records and expert interviews and highlight credible third-party reporting when appropriate.
We are committed to transparency and accountability, correcting errors openly and adhering to the best practices of the journalism industry. For more details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
[1]. Deloitte. “What’s for school lunch?”
[2]. MarketWatch. “You know what’s not tariff-proof? Your kid’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Here’s why.”
[3]. Urban Institute. “Changes to SNAP could reduce student access to free school meals”
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.