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School Lunch Programs Encourage Proper Nutrition
Editors: David Haugen and Susan Musser
Date: 2012
From: Nutrition
Publisher: Gale, part of Cengage Group
Series: Opposing Viewpoints
Document Type: Viewpoint essay
Length: 1,544 words
Content Level: (Level 4)
Lexile Measure: 1280L
Full Text:
Article Commentary
School Nutrition Association, "Beyond the Stereotypes: Facts About School Lunches," School Nutrition Association, March 10, 2008.
Copyright © 2011 by School Nutrition Association. Reproduced by permission.
"School lunches today meet federal nutrition standards and serve more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-
fat dairy than ever before."
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national nonprofit organization of professionals working in the school dietary and
nutrition field. In the following viewpoint, the SNA claims that school-prepared meals provide about one-third of the necessary daily
nutrition requirements for students. Refuting several myths that school meals are rife with junk foods, the SNA asserts that all meals
meet government standards and typically contain more healthy choices than meals brought from home. Furthermore, the
organization claims that students who eat school meals tend to maintain healthier weights than those who do not.
As you read, consider the following questions:
1. According to established dietary guidelines cited by the SNA, no more than what percentage of calories in a school-prepared
lunch can come from fat?
2. As the SNA attests, how do school lunch programs attempt to make a food item like pizza a healthy choice?
3. How is the sale of soda regulated in schools, as the SNA reports?
Media reports about school lunches often omit the facts and perpetuate out-dated stereotypes and biased information about school
nutrition programs.
School lunches today meet federal nutrition standards and serve more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy
than ever before. On a very tight budget, school nutrition professionals are preparing and serving balanced, nutritious meals in age-
appropriate portion sizes that provide critical nutrients and promote a healthy childhood weight.
What Do "School Meals" Consist Of? Get the Facts!
Under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP), school meals are required to meet
federal nutrition standards limiting fat, saturated fat and portion size and requiring that every school lunch include milk, fruits and
vegetables, a grain and a protein. In return, schools receive a reimbursement for each meal served.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (Public Law 111-296) passed in December 2010 required the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) to strengthen these federal nutrition standards. In January 2011, USDA released proposed nutrition standards including new
calorie and sodium limits, larger fruit and vegetable serving sizes and requirements to expand the variety of vegetables served in
schools each week. The standards will be finalized in 2012, but schools are already working toward these goals.
Currently, "competitive foods" sold in à la carte lines, snack bars, school stores and other venues during the school day, are not
required to meet these stringent nutrition standards. However, Public Law 111-296 called on USDA to develop new nutrition
standards for competitive foods. USDA is expected to release proposed standards by December 2011 and final regulations by the
summer of 2013.
Schools Do Not Serve Junk Food
Below are several popular misconceptions about school meals and the truth behind the myths.
Myth #1: School meals make children obese.
Fact: Research has shown that students who eat meals served through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) are more likely to
be at a healthy weight. A study published in the August 2003 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine concluded that
"girls in food-insecure households had significantly reduced odds of being at risk of overweight if they participated in the [National
School Lunch, School Breakfast and food stamp programs]." The research highlights the importance of food assistance programs to
low-income children not only in addressing hunger "but also in potentially protecting them from excess weight gain."i
NSLP participants are more likely than non-participants to consume vegetables, milk and milk products, and meat and other protein-
rich foods, both at lunch and over 24 hours; they also consume less soda and/or fruit [Link] Additionally, researchers from the Ohio
State University and Indiana University released a study in spring 2007 that indicated children are more likely to gain weight during
the summer months as opposed to during the school year. The research indicates that influences other than school meal programs
could be responsible for increases in childhood overweight.
Myth #2: Schools serve junk food for school lunch.
Fact: Meals served under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) must, by federal law, meet nutrition guidelines based on the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans. No more than 30 percent of calories can come from fat and less than 10 percent from saturated fat.
School lunches must provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and
calories. These guidelines apply over the course of one week of school lunch menus.
The 2007 School Nutrition Dietary Assessment III (SNDA III) study based on research by the US Department of Agriculture during the
2004-2005 school year found that in about 90 percent of all schools nationwide, students had opportunities to select low-fat lunch
options. Additionally more than 70 percent of schools studied served meals that provided all the nutrients students need for healthy
lifestyles, including protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C. In fact, NSLP participants consumed more of six key nutrients at
lunch than non-participants. NSLP participation is associated with higher average intakes of many nutrients, both at lunch and over
24 hours. Participants also have substantially lower intakes of added sugars than do [Link]
Serving Recommended Portions of Nutritious Food
Myth #3: Schools don't serve enough fruits or vegetables for lunch.
Fact: According to the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment III, the median number of all fruit and vegetable options (including
canned fruit and cooked vegetables) offered over the course of a week was 13 in secondary [Link] The 2009 School Nutrition
Operations Report: [The State of School Nutrition 2009] conducted by School Nutrition Association (SNA) found that fresh fruits and
vegetables are offered daily in 98.8 percent of school [Link] Furthermore, salad bars or pre-packaged salads are offered in 91
percent of [Link] Vegetarian options are served in 63.9 percent of school districts, according to the 2009 SNA operations report.
Myth #4: Schools serve fried, greasy foods.
Fact: Schools may serve french fries, chicken nuggets or pizza at times. However, meals are required to meet the Recommended
Dietary Allowances and federal nutrition standards, including limits on fat and saturated fat. As a result, these options are often
baked, not fried, made with low-fat or lean ingredients, and served with vegetables, fruit and other options that make each meal
balanced and nutritious. Pizza often has reduced fat cheese and whole grain crust, chicken patties and tenders are often baked and
coated in whole grain breading. Increasingly, school french fries are baked, made from sweet potatoes or are oven-baked potato
wedges.
Myth #5: Sack lunches from home are better than school meals.
Fact: Research by Dr. Alice Jo Rainville of Eastern Michigan University concluded that students who eat school lunches consume
fewer calories from fat than students who bring their lunch from home. Furthermore, the research found school lunches contain three
times as many dairy products, twice as much fruit and seven times the vegetable amounts as lunches brought from home.v
Schools Work Hard to Keep Junk Food Out
Myth #6: Soda is served with school lunch.
Fact: Federal law prohibits the sale of soda in the cafeteria during the school lunch period. State and local regulations may further
prohibit the sale of soda before or after the lunch period or in other locations on the school campus. The federal nutrition standards
currently being developed for competitive foods will likely further restrict the sale of full calorie sodas during the school day.
Myth #7: Only junk food is available through à la carte lines and vending machines.
Fact: While federal nutrition standards for these competitive foods and beverages are still being developed, many school districts and
the states have implemented their own nutrition standards for these items.
In 2004, Congress required every school district to develop local wellness policies regarding food available in school, nutrition
education, physical activity programs and other health programs. As a result, in many school districts, school nutrition professionals
have joined with parents, students and other school stakeholders to implement nutrition guidelines for all foods and beverages sold
on school campuses.
School Nutrition Association's 2010 Back to School Trends survey found that nearly two-thirds of districts with à la carte services are
implementing nutrition standards and limiting the size and/or weight of their à la carte food and beverage offerings. Meanwhile, more
than two-thirds of districts with vending services are increasing the availability of healthier beverages in vending machines.
Myth #8: What is served at schools is out of my control.
Fact: You can become active in setting policies at the local level! Join your local school wellness committee, school board, or PTA;
write a letter and voice what you think schools should offer students. Wellness is a community effort and needs everyone's support.
School nutrition professionals are committed to providing safe and nutritious meals to all children. Parents are encouraged to visit
their student's cafeteria, try a lunch and talk to their school food service director about the nutritional profile of foods served.
Books
Linda Bacon Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight. Dallas, TX: BenBella, 2008.
Joel Berg All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America? New York: Seven Stories Press, 2008.
Kelly D. Brownell and Katherine Battle Horgen Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis, and
What We Can Do About It. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
Cindy Burke To Buy or Not to Buy Organic: What You Need to Know to Choose the Healthiest, Safest, Most Earth-Friendly
Food. New York: Marlowe & Company, 2007.
T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted
and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health. Dallas, TX: BenBella, 2005.
Hank Cardello with Doug Garr Stuffed: An Insider's Look at Who's (Really) Making America Fat. New York: HarperCollins,
2009.
Ann Cooper and Lisa M. Holmes Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.
Glenn A. Gaesser Big Fat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health. Carlsbad, CA: Gürze, 2002.
Paul M. Insel et al. Nutrition. 4th ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2011.
Bill Lambrecht Dinner at the New Gene Cafe: How Genetic Engineering Is Changing What We Eat, How We Live, and the
Global Politics of Food. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001.
Marion Nestle Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Berkeley: University of California Press,
2002.
J. Eric Oliver Fat Politics: The Real Story Behind America's Obesity Epidemic. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Barry Popkin The World Is Fat: The Fads, Trends, Policies, and Products That Are Fattening the Human Race. New York:
Penguin, 2009.
Janet Poppendieck Free for All: Fixing School Food in America. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010.
John Robbins Diet for a New America. Walpole, NH: Stillpoint, 1987.
John Robbins The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World. 10th ed. San Francisco: Conari
Press, 2011.
Eric Schlosser Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York: Harper Perennial, 2005.
Michele Simon Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back. New York: Nation
Books, 2006.
Peter Singer and Jim Mason The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2006.
Frances Sizer and Ellie Whitney Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Thompson Higher Education,
2008.
Brian Wansink Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More than We Think. New York: Bantam, 2006.
Ellie Whitney and Sharon Rady Rolfes Understanding Nutrition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2011.
Walter C. Willett with Patrick J. Skerrett Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating. New
York: Free Press, 2005.
Mark Winne Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty. Boston: Beacon Press, 2008.
Periodicals
Courtney Bailey "Supersizing America: Fatness and Post-9/11 Cultural Anxieties," Journal of Popular Culture, June 2010.
Ann Cooper "The Nightmare of School Lunches," Progressive, December 2010-January 2011.
Adam Drewnowski "Obesity, Diets, and Social Inequalities," Nutrition Reviews, May 2009.
Liam Julian "Why School Lunch Is 'Nasty'," Policy Review, October/November 2010.
Claudia Kalb "Culture of Corpulence," Newsweek, March 14, 2010.
Josh Ozersky "Should the U.S. Crackdown on Happy Meals?" Time, November 10, 2010.
Eric Ravussin "Fat Chance: New Clues to Why We Gain Weight," Nutrition Action Healthletter, December 2010.
Claire Suddath "School Lunches," Time, October 7, 2009.
Debra Viadero "Childhood Obesity," Education Week, July 15, 2009.
Source Citation (MLA 9th Edition)
"School Lunch Programs Encourage Proper Nutrition." Nutrition, edited by David Haugen and Susan Musser, Greenhaven Press,
2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
[Link]/apps/doc/EJ3010785218/OVIC?u=tel_k_rossvw&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=ba56a8d0. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
Originally published as "Beyond the Stereotypes: Facts About School Lunches," School Nutrition Association, 10 Mar. 2008.
Gale Document Number: GALE|EJ3010785218
