Talking Points: Talking Points: School Lunch Programs

Talking Points: What’s for Lunch?

40% of elementary schools, ¾ of middle/junior high schools and virtually all senior high schools have vending machines, school stores or snack bars which most commonly carry soft drinks, sport drinks, imitation fruit drinks, chips, and candy.

What is the National School Lunch Program?

a federally assisted meal program operating in over 101,000 public and non-profit schools and residential child care institutions
provided nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to more than 30 million children each school day in 2006

How does the National School Lunch Program Work?

cash subsidies and donated commodities from the USDA for public and nonprofit private schools and care facilities

What types of foods do schools get from USDA?

States select entitlement foods for their schools from a list of various foods purchased by USDA and offered through the school lunch program
USDA and DOD are working together in some ways to promote the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program. (USDA says they have worked with schools to help promote connections with local small farmers, but not how.)

On June 30, 2004, Congress passed section 204 of Public Law 108-265 of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 requiring each local educational agency that participates in the National School Lunch Act or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to develop a local wellness policy by June 1, 2006 and implement it by the first day of the school year beginning after June 30, 2006.

Local Wellness Plans must include at least the following elements:

Goals for nutrition education, physical activity and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness in a manner that the Local Educational Agency, or LEA (like a school district), determines appropriate
Nutrition guidelines for all foods available on each school campus during the school day with the objectives of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity
An assurance that reimbursable school meals meet the USDA regulations
A plan for measuring implementation of the Local Wellness Plan, including designation of at least one person within the LEA to ensure that the schools meet the Local Wellness Plan

Gym Class has, in recent years, been steadily scaled back at school in the U.S.
During the past decade, the number of U.S. high school students attending daily physical education classes dropped from 42 to 29%.
Nearly half of all students and 75% of high school students currently do not attend ANY physical education classes (According to National Association for Sport and Physical Education)
An estimated 40% of U.S. school districts either have eliminated recess or are considering eliminating it (According to Rhonda Clements, President for the American Association of the Child’s Right to Play)

National Parent Teacher Association, “The Decline of Physical Activity: Why Are So Many Kids Out of Shape?

Although foods provided through the federal school lunch and breakfast programs must meet USDA nutritional guidelines, other sources of food on school campuses are not regulated, including vending machines, school stores, fundraisers and a la carte cafeteria snack lines
75% of the drinks and 85% of the snacks in school vending machines are junk foods like sweetened soda, candy and chips
Childhood obesity costs schools money, according to a PTA study that showed that obese students tend to have higher rates of absenteeism
Many schools have found that replacing junk foods with healthier foods and beverages in vending machines has not hurt their revenue and in some cases increased their revenue
Many studies show that improvements in the school food environment have a positive effect on students’ dietary choices while at school
Children who participate in school meal programs have better nutritional intake than those who do not

National Parent Teacher Association: “Healthy Lifestyles – The State of Nutrition in Schools Today”

District Food Policies can create a shared vision for child nutrition through sharing vision and language about needed change
Implementing District Food Policies can bring exciting curriculum opportunities, allowing kids to learn in the dining room and during the lunch period

Center for Ecoliteracy: “Rethinking School Lunch Guide”

What is Farm to School?

Agreement between schools and small local farmers to buy local produce like fruits, vegetables, honey, eggs meat and beans
Supports local farmers and allows students to have educational visits to farms
Healthy produce from the local area
33 states with operational programs
1,115 Farm to School Programs in the U.S.
99 Farm to School Programs profiled on the site listed below
10,867 Number of schools involved
706 school districts involved