The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently unveiled new standards for school meals. The new meal requirements will raise standards for the first time in more than fifteen years and are designed to improve the health and nutrition of the nearly 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs every school day. The healthier meal requirements are a component of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.
The final standards are designed to:
- ensure students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week;
- substantially increase offerings of whole grain-rich foods;
- offer only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties;
- limit calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and
- increase the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats, and sodium.
USDA built the new rule around recommendations from a panel of experts convened by the Institute of Medicine. The standards were also updated with key changes from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans – the Federal government's benchmark for nutrition – and aimed to foster the kind of healthy changes at school that many parents are already trying to encourage at home, such as making sure that kids are offered both fruits and vegetables each day, more whole grains, and portion sizes and calorie counts designed to maintain a healthy weight.
To access a copy of the standards, please visit:
USDA: Nutrition Standards for School Meals
To access a sample lunch menu, with a before and after comparison, please visit:
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act: Before/After Elementary School Lunch Menu
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