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Good childhood nutrition is associated with healthful growth; therefore, understanding parents’ perceptions about school lunch will enable stakeholders to help children’s nutritional needs and consequently help them obtain optimal health. Objective: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine United States (USA) immigrant parents’ perspectives on school lunch and snacks consumed in the school environment. Methods: Questions related to food prepared and served by the school, home-prepared foods, and home and school prepared snacks were examined using descriptive statistics. In addition, linear regression explored the association between years spent in the USA and perceptions of lunch and snacks consumed in the school environment. Results: Results indicated that region of origin might be linked with perceptions of school lunch and snacks, with years spent in the USA not being a significant (p > 0.05) factor in these perceptions. Conclusion: Overall, it is critical to explore factors that determine school lunch and snack preferences among immigrant families owing to the increasing numbers of such populations in the USA.

Keywords: Immigrant health, school lunch, food choice, food acculturation