Two nationwide programs—the Nationwide School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP)—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. In 2008, the NSLP provided lunch to more than 30.5 million children, and the SBP provided breakfast to 10.5 million children.
Currently, to receive federal repayment, school meals must meet regulations that were established in 1995 for Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements. The complex set of regulations specifies amounts of nutrients that must be provided, meal planning approaches, and rules for the food that must be on the student’s tray. Loans have been made in dietary guidance in the years since those rules were established. To obtain assistance in updating the regulations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to provide recommendations to revise the standards and requirements for both the NSLP and the SBP.
To meet its task, an IOM group reviewed and assessed the food and nutritious needs of school-aged children in the United States using the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans set by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and USDA, as well as the IOM’s Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). Also, the group reviewed the existing regulations for the NSLP and SBP Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements. The committee recommends numerous revisions and that stress be placed on revised Meal Requirements rather than on nutrients per se. The committee’s recommended new approach clearly focuses on providing meals that are consistent with the Nutritional Guidelines for Americans.
