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School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children

Released:
October 20, 2009
Type:
Consensus Report
Topic(s):
Food and Nutrition, Children and Families
Activity:
Review of National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program Meal Patterns and Nutrient Standards
Board(s):
Food and Nutrition Board

The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program play key roles in supporting the nutrition and health of schoolchildren in the United States by providing nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches each school day. While school meals must meet standards established in 1995, ad­vances have been made in dietary guidance in the years since. At the request of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Institute of Medicine convened a committee to provide recommenda­tions to revise standards and requirements so that school meals are more healthful.

In its 2009 report School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children, the committee recommends that the USDA adopt standards for menu planning, including:

  • Increasing the amount and variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
  • Setting a minimum and maximum level of calories
  • Focusing more on reducing saturated fat and sodium

In 2007, these national programs provided lunch to more than 30.5 mil­lion children and breakfast to 10.1 million children. If the IOM’s recommended changes are implemented, they will result in school meals that not only appeal to students but also better meet students’ nutritional needs.

Report at a Glance

Comparison of Current Requirements and New Recommendations (PDF, HTML)
Press Release (HTML)
Report Brief (PDF, HTML)
Report Recommendations (HTML)

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Other Reports by this Activity

Displaying: 1 of 1 Reports

  • Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs: Phase I. Proposed Approach for Recommending Revisions The national nutrition standards and meal requirements for the National School Breakfast and National School Lunch Program meals were created more than a decade ago, making them out of step with recent guidance about children’s diets. At the request of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Institute of Medicine assembled a committee to recommend updates and revisions to the school lunch and breakfast programs. The first part of the committee’s work is reflected in the December 2008 IOM report Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs: Phase I. Proposed Approach for Recommending Revisions.
    Released: December 3, 2008

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Committee Members

Supplemental Materials

  • Report Release Webcast

    Listen to the webcast of the public release of School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children, which took place Tuesday, October 20, 2009.

  • Sounds of Science Podcast: School Meals

    This podcast provides a historical overview of the emergence of school meal programs and provides recommendations to update the nutrition standard and the meal requirements for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.

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