Schools provide some of the healthiest meals that kids eat which play an important role in providing the nutrition they need to grow and learn and school meals are about to get even better We know you want the best for our nation's children and USDA is investing in school meals to make them even healthier over the next several years.
This final rule - Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans - is the next step in continuing the science-based improvement of school meals and advancing USDA’s commitment to nutrition security.
Updated School Meal Standards: working towards a common goal of healthy children and helping them reach their full potential.
School meals will continue to include fruits and vegetables, emphasize whole grains, and give kids the right balance of nutrients for healthy, tasty meals. For the first time, schools will focus on products with less added sugar, especially in school breakfast.
School nutrition professionals continue to make school meals the healthiest meals children eat in a day! To take school meals to the next level, USDA is updating the school nutrition standards after considering recommendations from the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans and listening to a diverse range of voices with experience in child nutrition and health.
Team Nutrition staff and guest speakers from the Arizona Department of Education and Bellingham Public School, Washington shared strategies and success stories utilizing standardized recipes that incorporate cultural food preferences and locally grown foods.