School meals and snacks must align with federal standards based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Learn more about school nutrition standards here.
Healthy KidsErin Ogden, MS, RD, LD, Zachary Goldstein, MS
West Genesee Central School District shows what is needed for a successful school meal program that promotes local produce and trying new fruits and vegetables.
Almost 30 million children in the U.S. receive school meals through the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. These meals must meet rigorous, evidence-based nutrition standards. As a result of major legislative and regulatory changes over the last 15 years, school meals are now the healthiest meals kids eat. Yet outdated kitchen equipment and infrastructure limit schools’ ability to provide freshly prepared meals that emphasize a variety of produce.
More than 400,000 Arizonans have lost their SNAP benefits since July — the largest decline in the nation by a wide margin — as an underfunded state agency administered changes called for in President Donald Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is spreading doubts about the safety of vaccines and considering changes that could prompt manufacturers to flee the U.S. market.
The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity urges USDA to:
•Preserve and strengthen current evidence-based standards
•Work with Congress to ensure sufficient funding to implement updates – taking into
consideration food, labor, infrastructure, and equipment costs
•Expand technical assistance programs
•Engage the food industry to ensure sufficient supply of products child nutrition
programs will need to procure to meet new standards
•Prioritize timely release of nationally representative research such as the School
Nutrition and Meal Cost Study II and use findings to drive policy
View the resource below to learn more.
The childhood vaccine schedule helps parents know when to vaccinate kids against diseases, some of which can be deadly. But why do kids need so many vaccines?
In the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, USDA and HHS rejected many science-based recommendations and emphasized animal protein, butter, and full-fat dairy.
