nutrition and physical activity in our schools - Environment & Human ...

The State of Nutrition and Physical Activity in Our SchoolsII. The National SchoolLunch ProgramThe National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is the largest childnutrition program in the country. It allows schools to receiveboth cash subsidies and donated foods from the U. S.Department of Agriculture (USDA) for every meal served. 1 Inreturn, the meals must meet certain nutritional requirements, andmust be offered either free or at reduced prices to eligiblechildren. 2 Ninety-five percent of the schools in this studyparticipated in the National School Lunch Program.The nutritional requirements dictate that qualifying lunchesmust provide one-third of the Recommended Daily Allowance(RDA) for calories, protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and Cfor the applicable age group. 3 Reimbursable lunches also mustadhere to the standards set forth by the Dietary Guidelines forAmericans, including the requirement that total fat cannotconstitute more than 30 percent of the calories and saturated fatcannot constitute more than 10 percent of the calories. 4The National SchoolLunch Program(NSLP) is the largestchild nutritionprogram in thecountry.Several approaches to menu planning are allowed by the USDAto meet the National School Lunch Program requirements. Thesedifferent approaches include both “foods-based menus” and“nutrient standard menus” as available options. The foods-basedmenu approach is structured around meal patterns, while thenutrient standard approach is based on nutritional analysis. Foreach lunch, a cafeteria employing the foods-based approach mustoffer five components: a grain, a meat or meat alternative(protein), milk, and two fruits and/or vegetables. 5 Under thenutrient standard menu approach, lunch menu development isbased on the analysis for nutrients in the foods offered over anentire school week. A cafeteria employing the nutrient standard25