School Lunch Menu Nutrition

Schools provide lunches to children who might otherwise not have anything to eat, but the nutritional content of these meals has recently come into question. With childhood obesity rates hovering around 30 percent, the nutritional quality of school lunches is under increasing scrutiny. Fortunately, recent reforms and new programs to improve school lunches are currently being implemented that should make students' mid-day meals healthier and more appealing.

National Program

According to the USDA, the National School Lunch Program supplies nutritionally balanced or low-cost lunches to over 101,000 schools across America. The schools use money and foods donated by the USDA to design their own individual meals, which can be different at each school. Schools can choose from a list of available donated foods, often meat and dairy products, and may also receive extra food that is considered agricultural surplus. The local schools decide on the specific foods to be served, but they must meet certain federal guidelines.

Nutrition

The fat content of school lunches must be less than 30 percent of the total calories and saturated fat content must be below 10 percent. The lunches must provide 1/3 or more of the recommended daily allowance of calcium, iron, protein, vitamin A and vitamin C. Other nutrients are not regulated and school lunches may be low in many key nutrients such as vitamin D, folate and fiber. Even worse, according to a 2009 USA Today report, the meat provided to schools for the school lunch programs is less stringently regulated than meat from fast food restaurants and includes lower-quality meat than commercial fast food restaurants are willing to buy.

Concerns

One major concern about school lunch nutrition is that many schools provide meals that are high in fat, cholesterol, sodium and calories, despite the USDA guidelines. A September 2010 report in the "Journal of Human Resources" found that children who consume school lunches tend to suffer from obesity at higher rates than kids who don't participate in the school lunch program, casting doubt on the nutritional value of these meals. Many schools also have vending machines stocked with sodas and snack foods as well as a la carte options that don't meet the federal guidelines, such as french fries or ice cream. Students often purchase these foods in place of or in addition to their provided school lunch.

Reform

On December 13, 2010, President Obama signed "The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010", a bill giving the federal government more authority over the nutritional value of school lunches. One provision of this bill is that it provides more money to schools to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, allowing them to provide these healthy foods instead of unhealthy alternatives. Another national program designed to improve school lunches involves encouraging schools to purchase fresh produce from local farms for use in school-provided meals.