Background: Schools are a promising site for influencing the dietary intake of children and adolescents. The US Department of Agriculture recently released flexibilities to requirements for whole-grains, sodium, and low-fat milk in schools who demonstrated difficulty meeting nutrition standards for school meal programs. The support of School…

The Trump Administration's rollbacks in nutritional standards for school meals have been the subject of much criticism and the basis for a lawsuit. Research into food insecurity and public school meal quality shows that food security and high nutritional standards are essential to any efforts to improve both school equity and student performance.…

Pulses are nutritionally important grain legumes that include dry beans, dry peas, garbanzo beans, and lentils. Schools are required to offer one-half cup pulses per week for each student participating in the National School Lunch Program [NSLP]. A survey of school nutrition directors and nutrition specialists was administered in Washington State…

Purpose/Objectives: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new school meals regulations went into effect in July 2012. The purpose of this research was to explore school nutrition director's (SNDs) perspectives and attitudes about the new regulations and to identify strategies used to prepare for and subsequently implement the regulations.…

From 2009 to 2010, the Community Food Security Coalition advocated for more federal support and funding for farm-to-school programs as Congress considered reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act. Farm-to-school initiatives aim to improve the quality and healthfulness of student meals through the inclusion of more fresh fruits and vegetables provided…

This manual contains information on Federal requirements regarding the determination and verification of eligibility for free and reduced price meals in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. These provisions also apply to the determination of eligibility for free milk under the Special Milk Program and are generally…

These hearing transcripts provide testimony on a rule proposed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), "Nutrition Objectives for School Meals," that would require meals served under the national school lunch program to be consistent with federal dietary guidelines. The majority of the testimony addressed the content of…

This document provides information on: (1) the number of schools that withdrew from the National School Lunch Program (NSLP); (2) characteristics of schools that withdrew; (3) reasons why schools withdrew; and (4) lunch services offered at the schools after they withdrew. Data were obtained through a questionnaire of 352 school food authorities…

The impact of the 1977 Department of Agriculture regulations to vary minimum meal portion sizes for children is analyzed as it related to student participation in school lunch programs. (CT)

This document consists of the four issues of a newsletter published during 1998. The newsletter discusses topics pertinent to school food service and providing nutrition for elementary school students. The February/March issue discusses exemptions under the Competitive Foods Regulation, celebrating cultural diversity in cafeteria menus, and…

Guidelines to help ensure that meals served under the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs meet program requirements are provided in this booklet. Based on the latest federal regulations and meal pattern requirements, average yield information is presented on over 600 food items. Information is provided for calculating accurate quantities…

Recognizing the importance of efficient and effective program administration for the success of Utah's Child Nutrition Programs, the State Office of Education developed a manual to assist local program administrators in using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) programs. This document contains Part 1 of the manual's four interrelated…

This report examines the background, purpose, cost, and regulatory impact of Senate Bill 1614, the proposed Better Nutrition and Health for Children Act of 1994. The purpose of the act is to reauthorize and make improvements in various federal nutrition programs, such as the National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act. The report…

This manual contains information on federal policy regarding meal-pattern requirements for school-nutrition programs. It also describes the Offer Versus Serve (OVS) provision, which allows students to decline either one or two food items they do not intend to eat in order to reduce food waste. The manual explains food components, gives examples of…

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), within the Department of Agriculture (USDA), is responsible for administering the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Under the provisions of the program, states are reimbursed a set amount of money for each meal served under the program. In 1991 and 1992, the FNS published the results of a survey of a…