Better Breakfast. Healthier School Lunch

The average American child spends more than 20 hours a week in school. That means kids are doing

a good part of their daily eating there as well. Here’s an update on changes that state and federal health officials are making to ensure that kids are feeding their bodies as well as their brains.

Better Breakfast

The first part of the updated School Breakfast Program will start this year. The program will allow students to get low-fat milk and proper portions for their age. Fifty percent of the breakfast grains served are required to be whole grains. By the next school year, 100% of them should be whole grains.

Healthier School Lunch

During the last school year, new school lunch standards limited the calories at lunch. Lunch calories had to be between 550 and 650 for elementary schools, 600 and 700 for middle schools, and 750 to 850 for high schools. Full-fat milk was cut from the menu and more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables were added. Many students complained that the low calorie meals left them hungry. In response, the USDA allowed schools more flexibility in meat and grain servings. For now, schools continue to have this leeway as health officials work on the lunch requirements.

“The hope is that now that schools have had a year with the new standards, there will start to be more innovation and variety in the offerings,” says Jessica Black, project director for The Pew Charitable Trusts Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project.

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