Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
School food nutrition can be improved
A recent study by the National US Department of Agriculture shows that nearly one-third of US children and teens are overweight or obese. Since most of their daily calories are eaten at school, the study investigated the nutritional quality of school foods.
Some states and local school districts have developed their own competitive food policies. This includes competitive foods such as those offered in vending machines, a la carte lines, and school stores. There are no national nutrition standards that regulate all foods at school.
The USDA study’s findings showed that 40% of students consumed one or more competitive foods each day and the foods chosen were low-nutrient, energy-dense foods and beverages, including candy, desserts, salty snacks and sugar-sweetened drinks. Elementary students who were offered fresh fruits and raw vegetables daily during lunch consumed fewer calories from low-nutrient, energy-dense foods and consumed significantly more fruits and vegetables during the school day.
The study, funded by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, says the USDA programs provide meals to children in about 95 percent of public schools and many private schools across the country. On an average day in 2007, 30.5 million children participated in the National School Lunch Program, and about 10 million participated in the School Breakfast Program. Most of these meals—59 percent and 80 percent, respectively—were served free or at a reduced price to children from low-income families. The USDA also provides commodity foods for the school meal programs. Nutrition standards for the school meal programs were developed as part of the 1995 School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children (SMI). The USDA and an Institute of Medicine expert panel are working to update the SMI standards to incorporate the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes standards.
Fewer than one-third of public schools participating in the National School Lunch Program offered lunches that met the SMI standards for total fat or saturated fat. However, more than 85 percent of public schools met SMI standards for protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. Only 8 percent of schools offered lunches that were consistent with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommendation for fiber, and no schools met the recommendation for sodium.
Forty-two percent of schools did not offer fresh fruits or raw vegetables daily in the school lunch, and whole-grain bread products were offered in fewer than 5 percent of lunches overall. Among schools with a higher percentage of low-income students, fresh fruits and raw vegetables were served less often as part of National School Lunch Program meals. While more than 90 percent of schools offered children the opportunity to select low-fat items and a low-fat school lunch, students most often chose high-fat options.
Processed commodities and other commercially prepared food products, such as pizza, breaded chicken nuggets, beef patties and burritos, accounted for 40 percent of the lunch entrees available. These menu items were among the top contributors of calories, fat and sodium in the lunches.
Policy Recommendations made from the report findings include: restricting the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages throughout the day in all schools; limiting the availability of low-nutrient, energy-dense foods sold a la carte and in vending machines and fundraisers; promoting children's consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and non-fat or low-fat dairy products; expanding nutrition education efforts to help students make healthy food choices; and increasing awareness among parents and students about the nutritional benefits of participating in the school meal programs.
Access to The School Food Environment, Children's Diets, and Obesity: Findings from the Third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study, appearing in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (Supplement, February 2009), is available.
