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SNA Responds To Institute Of Medicine’s Recommendations For The National School Lunch And Breakfast Programs

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Diane Pratt-Heavner, School Nutrition Association
(301) 686-3124
media@schoolnutrition.org

SNA Responds to Institue of Medicine's Recommendations for the National School Lunch  and Breakfast Programs

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (October 20, 2009) – Today, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released “School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children,” issuing recommendations to update the nutrition and meal standards for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Programs.

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) welcomed the recommendations and called on Congress to provide school nutrition programs with the financial support necessary to bring these changes to the lunch line.

“School nutrition programs offer children well-balanced, healthy meals, but just like our students, we are constantly working to improve ourselves,” said School Nutrition Association President Dora Rivas, MS, RD, SNS, and executive director of Food and Child Nutrition Services for the Dallas Independent School District in Texas.  “The Institute of Medicine’s recommendations offer schools critical guidance for ongoing efforts to enhance the nutrition of school meals. 

“However, school nutrition programs, long under-funded and pressured by rising costs, will need more than just ‘Building Blocks’ to improve on our success,” said Rivas.  “Congress needs to provide the mortar through higher federal reimbursement rates for school meals.”

SNA’s 2009 School Nutrition Operations Report found that nationwide, nearly every school district offers students fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and salad bars or pre-packaged salads, and nearly all school districts prepare at least some of their bakery items, entrees or side dishes from scratch.

Yet an SNA report released last week found that school nutrition programs are increasingly pressured by rising costs and a federal reimbursement rate for free lunches that doesn’t keep up with the expense of preparing a meal.  SNA is calling on Congress to provide greater federal support for school meals during reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act this fall.

The School Nutrition Association is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country.  The Association and its members are dedicated to feeding children safe and nutritious meals. Founded in 1946, SNA is the only association devoted exclusively to protecting and enhancing children’s health and well being through school meals and sound nutrition education.

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Related Links

School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children - Institute of Medicine Report

 

Posted by administrator at 10/20/2009 8:57 AM

I think most schools operate within the guidelines that are setforth to them by the NSLP. The problem is that everyone wants to blame school lunches for obese children when in fact, my school only supplies 16% of the total meals provided to our children each year if you figure 3 meals a day at 365 days per year. We have 176 school days that we provide a lunch for and that is what I base my 16% on. The other 84% are meals that are eaten outside of the school at the parents/students choice. To put the blame of obese students squarely on the shoulders of schools is UNFAIR!

I also think that poverty and obesity are very closely linked. I think that is a place this legislative commision needs to look and address to get a complete picture. If a family has x amount of dollars to spend are they going to spend it on higher priced fresh fruits and vegetables or are they going to get more bang for their buck and spend it on lower cost, higher calorie and fat foods? That question to my knowlege has never been asked or answered.

Also todays children are not as active as they once where, most will stay inside and watch television or play on the computer or with a video game or text their friends instead of going outside and playing and burning off calories!

That blame should not be placed on the school lunch programs shoulders and needs to be placed where the real problems are!

Thank you,

Darrel Davis
Posted by: Darrel Davis at 10/21/2009 2:59 PM


If my understanding is correct...is the IOM saying we should go back to a Food-Based approach to menu planning? It appears that global trends are leaning toward less meat production for environmental reasons; it follows that less meat will be part of our daily plate whether in school or not. Nutrient-based standards are far superior to food based approaches for the flexibility to serve plant-based dishes or serving meat as a garnish more than center of the plate. Why does this feel like a giant step backward?
Posted by: Denise Ohm at 11/6/2009 5:08 PM
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