USDA Releases New School Meal Nutrition Standards



The moment child nutrition advocates have been waiting for:  as part of last year’s Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill, the USDA released new nutrition standards for school meals on January 26, largely based on recommendations by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. These are the first major changes in school meals in 15 years.  The new standards aim to make school meals healthier and help combat childhood obesity, which affects about 17% of U.S. children and is a major focus of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign.  Some of the new standards include:

• Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables daily
• Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods
• Offering only fat-free (flavored) or low-fat white milk varieties
• Limiting calories based on child’s age to ensure proper portion size
• Reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium

Complete details can be found on the USDA's website, including sample menus, an implementation timeline and more.  A concise synopsis of the new nutrition standards can also be found in this article by The Atlantic.