NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM

By:

Pam, Jen, Kassandra and Allie

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL LUNCH PROGRAM?

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) makes

it possible for all school children in the United

States to receive a nutritious lunch every school day.

The only people who will know your child is

receiving benefits are the nutrition staff. Children

receiving free or reduced-price meals are not

identified to other students or adults.

VIDEO CLIP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X-

5mk3BcfM

PROBLEM

Anywhere from 10 to 35 percent of schools did not

supply students with low-fat lunches.

Just over 11 percent of the children were

overweight in kindergarten, and 17 percent were

overweight by the time they'd reached third grade.

HISTORY

The Lunch program became a federal project in

1936. In 1946 the program was a federally funded

program. The law expanded from free lunches to

reduced breakfast prices, milk, snack and summer

meals for some students.

ELIGIBILITY AND ENROLLMENT

Children can be enrolled in the school lunch

program in two ways. Parents can apply for the

program by submitting information about their total

household incomes through a simple application the

school district provides

TRENDS IN SCHOOL LUNCH SPENDING AND PARTICIPATION

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

S. Department of Agriculture

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

The school lunch program includes nutrition requirements

for all subsidized meals. Despite these benefits, the safety,

cost, and health of meals served by the school nutrition

programs have come under some scrutiny.

Limited funds for school meals are negatively affecting

any advances, especially as food prices rise. As of 2009, less

than a third of schools even met existing nutrition

requirements.

FOOD QUALITY

-Food is often highly processed, made in factories and

shipped to school kitchens in bags, cans and boxes. Few

school lunches include fresh fruits or vegetables.

-As costs and usage increased, the school lunch

program faced the challenge of buying huge quantities

of food at low prices, which reduced quality.

MAKING IMPROVEMENTS

-The transition to healthier meals in schools has

been slow and difficult because it requires a major

cultural shift and it costs more money. It will take

many years to halt the obesity epidemic and

overhaul the way we feed our children at school and

at home.

SCHOOL LUNCHES VS. FAST FOOD

-The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the meat

it buys for the National School Lunch Program

"meets or exceeds standards in commercial

products.“ This isn’t always the case.

-In the past three years, the government has

provided the nation's schools with millions of pounds

of beef and chicken that wouldn't meet the quality or

safety standards of many fast-food restaurants.

LOWER FOOD COST

Work closer with the distributors

Food service workers need to get

to best price point and top quality

food.

Work with the farms in the

community

Bring in fruits and vegetables that

are grown close to the school.

Work with the governments

federal funded food programs

Raise the cost of competitive

foods and bring in vending

machines.

The school will need to

implement rules that need to

be followed to qualify for these

programs.

Change staff work schedules

and use part-time employees.

The school will not need to

pay benefits or vacation pay.

Raise the cost of a la carte

items

ACTION PLANGet the students involved.

Meal planning, working in the

cafeteria, learning life skills and

critical thinking.

Join a task force or a nutrition

committee

Seek out like minded people to raise

the schools food I.Q. Teachers, students

and administrators can all be included.

Plant a school garden

Garden based learning improves

student motivation

Increases the consumption

of fruits and vegetables

Improves the understanding

of science concepts

Fundraising

Work with the school

Buy a Lunch – website

where you can buy a lunch for

any student.

Work with local businesses

CONCLUSION

The school lunch program faces many challenges

that they need to overcome every day. First the

school needs to know about proper nutrition and

have well educated staff able to serve it. Next they

must have student participation to prevent plate

waste and last but not least the school must have a

low food cost because every year the administrators

and the food service workers struggle to keep the

budget balanced.

SOURCES

http://

health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/childrens-hea

lth/articles/2009/03/04/school-lunches-too-fatty-and-sugary-

critics-say?PageNr=2

http://

febp.newamerica.net/background-analysis/federal-school-n

utrition-programs

http://

www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-12-08-school-lunc

h-standards_N.htm

http://

www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2011/10/198_940

68.html