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Government regulations for school lunches
Recent changes to school lunch programs
Recent changes to school lunch programs
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Recommended: Government regulations for school lunches
The Child Nutrition Department of Denton Independent School District (ISD) serves all the students attend the thirty-five schools that are part of the school district.1 The cafeterias at these locations all offer breakfast and lunch. All meals are eligible for federal and state reimbursement through the School breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP).2 Currently, student participation in school breakfasts is much lower than that of school lunches.
Some schools within Denton ISD have a large population of students that are eligible for free meals based on family income. Thus, these locations would qualify for the community eligibility provision (CEP), which allows for breakfasts and lunches to be served free-of-charge to all students.3
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This represents only 48% of the total student population. Of these students, 84% receive a free breakfast. Based on the numbers of lunch participation, there is a opportunity to reach more students, especially those who might benefit from a low-cost breakfast meal. Therefore, it has been chosen as an ideal site to test a new breakfast in the classroom (BIC) program because breakfast can be served free-of-charge to all students. The primary goals of the BIC program are to increase student participation in school breakfast and reduce the incidence of childhood hunger in the classroom. To be successful, participation must be adequate enough to cover the costs of
The Indiana School Breakfast and Lunch Program is a program open to those children who live in a low income household. “National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a Federal entitlement program open to public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. Lunch is available to all children at participating schools, and the meals must meet specific nutritional requirements to receive Federal funds (Indiana Department of Education, 2013). This Program is open to those who reside in Indiana and who are a parent or guardian of a child who in school, and does not continue beyond high school. This program has requirements that deal with the level of household income. The household income requirements deal with the household income before taxes have been taken out. If there is a household of one person, they cannot make more than $21,257; a person in a two person household cannot make more than $28,694. This scale continues all the way to that a household of eight cannot make more than $73,316 (Indiana Department of Education, 2013).
The Illinois Board of Education is who requires schools to have this program. The schools receive money or reimbursements from the state for these free meals. In return, schools have to serve certain foods that meet state food requirements. Requiring students to have a fruit, a meat, a grain, a milk, and a vegetable. Unfortunately, this meal for some students is the only complete meal they will get all day.
We all remember that day when President Obama took office, and our school lunches changed forever. First Lady Michelle Obama, felt that too many American kids are overweight, so she thought she needed to make our school lunches healthier, with more fruits and vegetables. One of the major changes she made was how many calories the school cooks were able to give the kids. The new requirements are as follows: up to 650 for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, 700 for sixth through eighth graders and 850 for high scholars. These numbers are consistent with the Mayo Clinic’s recommendations ( Kuczynski-Brown). The main goal of cutting calories and taking away junk food, was to insure that kids are getting served a healthy lunch. At each lunch, schools must still provide a cup of fruit, a cup of vegetables, two servings of grains, two ounces of dairy, and a cup of fluid milk, so that students can get their needed vitamins and nutrients (Anonymous) . They are also wanting more local farmers to be involved, and give more of the food they grow to the school. At the high school I went to, we built a green house, and planted a garden to give us some local grown food. It was part of our Ag Science class. More and more schools are starting to do the same thing. The stats of overweight kids is really high. The guidelines are as follows:
“Our Schools need to start teaching kids how to be healthy.”- Unknown. School lunches have created a chronic problem in a school setting, and since it hasn't been fixed, 6-11 year olds have had a 17% increased chance of becoming obese (Centers for Disease control and Prevention). Most school districts don't even bother changing the food restrictions just so they can please their students. Unhealthy school lunches are a huge problem among children in the United States, it can cause obesity, stress, and many other problems.
“More than a third of the county's children are overweight or obese.”(Gustin, 1). As shocking as this is, it's true. One of the big reasons that children and teens are overweight is because of the foods that they eat. They are fed these fattening and unhealthy foods by the school system. Their futures can be changed if we change our choices. Having more nutritious lunches can have a positive impact on the health of American teens.
President Harry Truman initiated The School Lunch Program (NSLP) in 1946, it was established under the National School Lunch Act. The program provides nutritionally balanced, low‐cost lunches to more than 32 million boys and girls each school day.The NSLP ensures the nutrition,portion, and safety of our children food, over the years do to the rise of childhood obesity the The USDA School Lunch Program is constantly evolving to meet the needs of our youth. Many concerned citizens, such as Eric schlosser author of Fast Food Nation believes that the USDA is not providing our children with the right nourishment. Many parents are taking it into their own hand and creating and joining advocacy groups. It is crucial that our youth receive nutrient
Education plays a dominant role in the lives of students all over the United States. Since most students spend roughly eight to twelve hours in school, it is important to make sure that they are provided with a healthy and nutritious breakfast, lunch and snack.
Many families who cannot afford to buy their child school lunch everyday cannot afford to feed their child a healthy breakfast either. This program looked to bridge that gap. However, it was not only created for the low-income families in mind, but also the families with early and long commutes who have too much time between breakfast and lunch. Eligibility for free and reduced breakfast are the same as for lunch, but school reimbursements differ. For a free lunch, the school is reimbursed $1.66, a reduced price lunch $1.36, and a paid lunch $0.29.
Lunch is one of the most important meals of the day and is consumed mostly in school cafeterias for children and adolescence. Wholesome lunches are vital in maintaining a healthy metabolism and give children energy for the rest of the school day. Children are advised to eat healthily but do not always do so because the choices of tastier, fatty foods offered in school cafeterias. The National School Lunch Program, NSLP, which is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools set nutritious guidelines for lunches served in school cafeterias (USDA). However, school campuses still offer foods high in fat as well as selling candy, chips, and soda in their vending machines, as well as their school shops. In order
With the implementation of the “Healthy Kids Hunger-Free Act” schools are not serving as many lunches and participation is decreasing. According to the Government Accountability Office (GOA), “Nationwide, student participation declined by 1.2 million students(or 3.7 percent) from school year 2010-2011 through school year 2012-2013, after having increased steadily for many years”(sec. 1). The school lunches became more distasteful and bland; the combinations of foods did not make sense, and the portion sizes decreased significantly. In order to support the cafeteria
Childhood Obesity. I do not believe that School Lunch Programs encourage poor nutrition. Yes, most school lunches aren’t desirable and may look like globs of inedible items that are pureed, heated and served with unripened fruit, but they are not at fault for poor eating habits. School lunches are required to meet the minimum government nutrition standards, but that actually costs more than the profit made when distributing said lunches to students.
served at schools (Ralston, k.r (2008) the national lunch program). The main issue is if
Students that get free lunch do not have to pay for their lunch at school while other students that have reduced lunch have to pay for to eat lunch at school. How the NSLP determine who gets free or reduce lunch by the student family’s income. There are a high percentage of students that receive free lunch in the article "Participation in the National School Lunch Program: Importance of School-Level and Neighborhood Contextual Factors." Donka M. Mirtcheva says “Approximately 80% of students eligible for free lunch and become certified”. More and more students are currently bringing their own lunch from home because the food taste awful or students do not receive free lunch. Students that pack their own lunch know what nutrients that are going inside the body. The food that the students bring to lunch sometimes connects to their cultures. Culture is another reason why some students are choosing to bring their own lunch, many cultures are quite the same and also extremely different. “’Barring dietary restrictions, children in most districts can’t bring food to school, either, until high school.’”(qtd. Woldow 48) In Japan children cannot bring their own lunch until they reach ninth grade, through elementary and junior high they have to eat what is being served to them at lunch. In France students are able to go home for lunch or eat the lunch provided by the school. Students bringing their own lunch from home are
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is used by students throughout the nation and is constantly under evaluation to give students a healthy and balanced meal. The program regulates and standardizes the lunch provided at all public schools, and even some private schools. Through the NSLP, it is ensured that school lunches are (generally) the same from school to school. The NSLP makes certain that a nutrient-rich lunch is available to all students that attend these NSLP using schools throughout the nation. Though it receives a great deal of controversy, this program is found efficient by parents and supplementary to children and adolescents alike.
Much of the research examining the federally sponsored USDA breakfast program shows that the benefits of participation greatly outweigh the drawbacks. Some of the benefits include assurance for students and others concerned, an increased awareness in the students during the school day, and significant influences in the student’s behaviors. The assumption that the students are wasting money due to lack of participation, may pose as a drawback, although research shows differently. This author wishes to recommend that district X participates in a USDA sponsored Federal School Breakfast Program.