USDA Proposal to Modernize School Nutrition Standards

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Bibliographic Details
Title: USDA Proposal to Modernize School Nutrition Standards
Language: English
Authors: First Focus on Children
Source: First Focus on Children. 2023.
Availability: First Focus on Children.1400 Eye Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-657-0670; Fax: 202-657-0671; Web site: https://firstfocus.org/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 2
Publication Date: 2023
Document Type: Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Lunch Programs, Breakfast Programs, Nutrition, Federal Programs, Food, Dietetics, Health Promotion, Disease Control, Change, Federal Legislation, National Standards, Food Service, Public Schools
Abstract: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released an update to the nutrition standards schools must meet in the breakfasts and lunches served to more than 30 million children. The last time USDA fully updated school meal standards was in 2012. Research on the impact of those changes found that the nutritional quality of school meals increased by 41%, fruit, vegetable, and whole grain consumption increased, and obesity prevalence for children in poverty came in 47% lower than expected in 2018. Every five years, USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) update the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs)," which recommend what Americans should eat to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease based on the most recent nutrition science. In an effort to align the standards for school meals with the DGAs, the proposed rule is suggesting changes to four main components of school meals: (1) added sugars; (2) milk; (3) sodium; and (4) whole grains.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2023
Accession Number: ED626693
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released an update to the nutrition standards schools must meet in the breakfasts and lunches served to more than 30 million children. The last time USDA fully updated school meal standards was in 2012. Research on the impact of those changes found that the nutritional quality of school meals increased by 41%, fruit, vegetable, and whole grain consumption increased, and obesity prevalence for children in poverty came in 47% lower than expected in 2018. Every five years, USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) update the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs)," which recommend what Americans should eat to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease based on the most recent nutrition science. In an effort to align the standards for school meals with the DGAs, the proposed rule is suggesting changes to four main components of school meals: (1) added sugars; (2) milk; (3) sodium; and (4) whole grains.