School lunches are required to contain fruits and vegetables.
Many adults remember eating school lunches. They often run the gamut from decent to decidedly unappetizing. However, there has been a recent push toward serving more nutritious and appealing lunches in school. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates the nutritional value of all school lunches. This agency provides schools with five possible approaches to menu planning. They are nutrient standard menu planning, assisted nutrient standard menu planning, traditional food-based menu planning, enhanced food-based menu planning and alternate menu planning.
General Guidelines
The USDA decrees that school lunches must contain a variety of foods and that students should eat plenty of grain products, fruits and vegetables. It also decrees that students should limit themselves to a moderate intake of sodium. School lunches should include increased amounts of dietary fiber. Schools are permitted to make exceptions to the lunches for certain students. Students who have disabilities that restrict their diets can receive substitutions for unacceptable foods. Students without disabilities can also receive substitutions if they have written documentation of the need and suggestions for alternative foods. The USDA also instructs schools to consider religious or ethnic preferences when planning and serving school lunches.
Nutritional Content
When using the nutrient standard menu planning approach, the USDA states that school lunches for children in preschool should contain a minimum of 517 calories. Lunches for children in grades K-6 should contain at least 664 calories and lunches for students in grades 7-12 should contain at least 825 calories. School lunches should provide one-third of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of iron, calcium, protein, vitamin A and vitamin C for each age group. They must limit total fat to no more than 30 percent of total calories and they must limit saturated fat to no more than 10 percent of the total calories in the meal. The lunches must also be low in cholesterol
Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value
Beginning in 2001, the USDA forbade schools from serving what it defines as foods of minimal nutritional value (FMNV) alongside of the school lunch. It also says these foods must not be available to students during the lunch period or in the lunch area. Foods of minimal nutritional value include carbonated beverages such as soda, water ices, gum, candy and candy-coated popcorn. Schools are also not permitted to use government funds to purchase these foods in order to serve them to students.
Offer Versus Serve
The USDA requires schools to offer students at least three menu items for lunches. High school students must choose at least two items and may decline no more than two items. Students are required to take the main entr e. One item offered must be milk or a milk substitute. Schools are permitted to substitute a nondairy alternative for children who are unable to drink milk.
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