Recently, "new school lunch" has become a hot topic not only in the U.S. academia of nutrition, but also for the lay audiences, for it is not only a reform that countless number of nutrition researchers and dietitians has been working toward, but also a historic improvement that concerns every American in some way.
According to USDA, the new nutrition standards for both the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs was finalized and released on Thursday, January 26, 2012 by Food and Nutrition Service, Department of Agriculture. This rule is scheduled to be effective on March 26, 2012. Compliance with the provisions of this rule by schools must begin from July 1, 2012.
The new school lunches and breakfasts will reflect the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans and also based on the recommendations issued by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research, Institute of Medicine (IOM).
The major changes in school meals are:
School Lunch Program:
• It provides both servings of fruit and vegetable daily rather than one serving of fruit or vegetable.
• Stricter specification of vegetable subgroups
• It specifies daily amounts as well as weekly ranges for meat and grain based on age groups.
• It specifies the amount of whole grains provided daily rather than simply encouragement.
• It restricts milk provided to unflavored fat-free or 1% fat only.
School Breakfast Program:
• It specifies daily amounts as well as weekly ranges for meat and grain based on age groups.
• Specifies the amount of whole grains provided daily rather than simply encouragement.
In addition to changes mentioned above, the new regulatory requirements also set the upper-limits for sodium, determined ranges of calorie content, and completely restricted the presence of trans-fat in school meals.
This new standard is not only going to help alleviate or even resolve the rising concern of chronic diseases in children, such as childhood obesity, but more importantly, it is going to help building a healthy future for the whole generations affected by the change. Several studies had been done to examine the correlation between food preference and practice in childhood as well as which in adolescent or adulthood. The results are positive. Study suggests that there’s an enormous amount of learning about food and eating occurs during one’s childhood. This early learning process, although mostly determined by one’s genetic predisposition, however, is also largely influenced by their caregiver’s feeding pattern and modeling effect when they were young. As an old Chinese saying goes, “A child is the father of man.” The new reform of school meals, combined with various existing campaigns devoted to educate parents as well as children themselves, stands a good chance of bringing to us a healthier United States of America in the near future.
References:
1. Final Rule: Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. URL: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-26/pdf/2012-1010.pdf
2. Comparison of Current and New Regulatory Requirements under Final Rule.
URL: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/legislation/comparison.pdf
3. Development of Eating Behaviors Among Children and Adolescents.
URL: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/101/Supplement_2/539.full
4. University students food preference and practice now and during childhood.
URL:http://pdn.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.library.tufts.edu/science?_ob=MiamiImageURL&_cid=271256&_user=201547&_pii=S0950329305000662&_check=y&_origin=article&_zone=toolbar&_coverDate=31-Jul-2006&view=c&originContentFamily=serial&wchp=dGLzVBA-zSkWA&md5=59f66274c46e37d39d51528e49d41594/1-s2.0-S0950329305000662-main.pdf
5. Comparison of College Students' Current Eating Habits and Recollections of Their Childhood Food Practices. URL:http://pdn.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.library.tufts.edu/science?_ob=MiamiImageURL&_cid=277316&_user=201547&_pii=S0022318299704838&_check=y&_origin=article&_zone=toolbar&_coverDate=30-Nov-1999&view=c&originContentFamily=serial&wchp=dGLzVlB-zSkzV&md5=082c7ea7350663fe3455984d4f3fe23c/1-s2.0-S0022318299704838-main.pdf
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