Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs

The National School Breakfast Program feeds 10 million children each day, and the National School Lunch Program feeds more than 30 million students. Yet the national nutrition standards and meal requirements for these meals were created more than a decade ago, making them out of step with recent guidance about children's diets. With so many children receiving as much as 50 percent of their daily caloric intake from school meals, it is vital for schools to provide nutritious food alongside the best possible education for the success of their students.At the request of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Institute of Medicine assembled a committee to recommend updates and revisions to the school lunch and breakfast programs. The first part of the committee's work is reflected in the December 2008 IOM report Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs: Phase I. Proposed Approach for Recommending Revisions. Phase II of the report is expected in Fall 2009.This first report provides information about the committee's approach as it reviews the school lunch and breakfast programs. In the report's second part, the committee will share its findings and recommendations to bring these meals more in line with today's dietary guidelines.The committee welcomes public comments about its intended approach. An open forum will be held January 28, 2009 in Washington, DC to receive input from the public. Please go to http://www.iom.edu/fnb/schoolmeals for details or email FNBSchoolMeals@nas.edu with any input.Table of ContentsFront MatterSummary1 Introduction2 The Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements: Description and Topics Relevant to Their Revision3 Working Principles and Criteria for the Committee's Approach to Proposing Revisions4 Food and Nutrient Needs of Schoolchildren5 Proposed Planning Model for Establishing Nutrition Standards for School Meals6 Proposed Phase II Analyses: Sensitivity Analysis, Cost Implications, and Market Effects7 ReferencesAppendix A Acronyms, Abbreviations, and GlossaryAppendix B A Selection of Laws and Regulations Governing the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast ProgramAppendix C Comparison of 1995 and 2005 Dietary Guidelines for AmericansAppendix D July 2008 Workshop AgendaAppendix E Critical Issues for Consideration by the CommitteeAppendix F Selected Evaluations of School Meal ProgramsAppendix G Current Standards for Food-Based Menu Planning ApproachAppendix H Current Standards for Nutrient-Based Menu Planning ApproachAppendix I Data Sources and Study Methodology: SNDA-III and 2008 Diet Quality ReportAppendix J MyPyramid Calorie Levels and Food Intake PatternsAppendix K Dietary Reference Intakes for Individuals Ages 4 Through 18 Years, Including Those Who Are Pregnant or LactatingAppendix L MyPyramid Food Intake Pattern Compared with Meal Requirements for the NSLPAppendix M Estimation of Cost of Food for One Week's Menu:Example for Elementary School Level