What is the National School Lunch Program? What is the School Breakfast Program?

Both programs are federally assisted programs operating in public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions. The National School Lunch program (NSLP) began in 1946 as a measure of national security. Selective Service figures indicated that one-third of all men rejected for military service during World War II were physically unfit because of nutritional deficiencies. The federal government responded with the intuition of the NSLP. The School Breakfast Program (SBP) began as a pilot project in 1966, and was made permanent in 1975.

How does the program work?

School districts and independent school that choose to take part in the NSLP receive cash subsides and donated commodities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for each meal they serve. In return, they must serve meals that meet Federal nutrition standards, and they must offer free or reduced price lunches to eligible children. School foodservice directors face the challenge of operating nutritionally sound programs that meet federal requirements, are cost effective, and are acceptable to children.

What are the Nutritional Requirements for School Meals?

In 1995, the USDA launched the School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children in an attempt to improve the nutrient quality of school meals by promoting consistency with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This initiative included nutrition standards for school meals that maintained the long-standing goals of proving one-third of students’ daily needs for calories and key nutrients for lunch and one-fourth of students’ daily needs for calories and key nutrients for breakfast. In addition, the standards include goals for fat (no more than 30 percent of calories) and saturated fat (less than 10 percent of calories).

Why are School Meals "the Right Choice"?

Data from the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study II have highlighted the benefits of school meals:

* Students in 82 percent of elementary schools and 91 percent of secondary schools had the opportunity to select lunches that were consistent School Meals Initiative standards for fat and saturated fat.
* School lunches were also providing more than one-third of the Recommended Dietary

Allowances for all targeted nutrients.

A recent USDA analysis has shown that students who participated in the school lunch program:

* Consume over twice as many servings of vegetables at lunch than nonparticipants,
* Consumed four times as much milk as non participants, and
* Have substantially lower intakes of added sugars than do nonparticipants

How do Children Quailify for Free and Reduced-Price Meals

Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Those with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are

eligible for reduced-price meals. Children from families with incomes over 185 percent of poverty pay the full price.

Who Administers the School Meal Program?

At the national level, the USDA administers the NSLP and SBP through the Food and Nutrition Service. The Division of Food and Nutrition, Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) administers the programs for Pennsylvania.

What are Competitive Foods?

Competitive Foods are foods offered at school, other than meals served through USDA’s school meal programs. USDA defines two categories of competitive foods:

* Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value (FMNV) belong to specific categories described in the regulations for the National School Lunch Program and include soda water, water ices, chewing gum, hard candy, jellies, and gums, marshmallow candies, fondant, licorice, spun candy and candy-coated popcorn. Current federal regulation prohibited the sale of FMNV in the food service area during the school meals periods.

* All other foods offered for individual sale range from second servings of foods that are part of the reimbursable school meals to foods that students purchase in additional to or in place of a reimbursable school meal, such as a la carte sales and other foods and beverages purchased from vending machines, school stores, and snack bars. Regulations do not prohibit the sale of these foods at any time during any time during the school day anywhere on the school campus, including the food service area.

Why are Competitive Foods Sold?

The decisions for schools to provide competitive foods have been driven by a variety of factors. Some are:

* Student Preferences.

* Increased financial demands

* Support of school meals programs

* "Pouring rights" contracts.

What are the Issues Associated With Competitive Foods?

Competitive foods are often low in nutritional value and high in fat, sugars and calories. Therefore, they may contribute to poor dietary habits and result in obesity. Sales of competitive foods may stigmatize and affect the viability of the school meal programs. Since only children with money can buy competitive foods, students may perceive that school meals are primarily for poor children rather than for all children. Increases in the sale of competitive foods, in the absence of regulated nutrition standards, may result in decrease in participation in school meals programs that must meet nutrition standards. Students may be receiving a mixed message if they are taught about good nutrition in the classroom, but thus message is not reinforced throughout the school environment.