School meals are nutritious.1,2Research shows that students who participate in the school meal programs consume more whole grains, milk, fruits, and vegetables during meal times and have better overall diet quality, than nonparticipants.1,3And, eating breakfast at school is associated with better attendance rates, fewer missed school days, and better test scores.4–7Meals served through these programs must meetspecific nutrition requirementswhich include fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.
Schools can encourage students to participate in the school meal programs by:
- Providing meals that are nutritious and appealing.
- Obtaining input from students and parents about items they would like to see served in the meals.
- Ensuring that students haveadequate time to eat their meal(at least 10 minutes for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch).
- Preventing the overt identification of students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals.
FAQs
Research has found that school meals are the healthiest meals kids receive each day.
Why are school lunches still so unhealthy? ›
So it comes as no surprise that they can only opt for low-quality foods, as opposed to fresh produce, quality proteins and whole grains. Because of the low budgets, rolled back standards and forced ingredients with longer shelf lives, school cafeterias often opt for processed foods that are high in preservatives.
Are students satisfied with school lunches? ›
A majority of teens give their school meals positive reviews, according to the survey. Sixty-four percent said that school meals taste good while 55 percent said they are high quality.
Is home lunch healthier than school lunch? ›
Home-packed lunches at U.S. schools comprise about 40 percent of school meals. Their packed content was reported to have a higher caloric value and a lesser nutritional value than in-school lunches. All NSLP-participating schools must make their lunch offerings healthy and meet minimum nutrition/caloric standards.
What country has the best school lunch? ›
Japan: The Japanese school lunch program is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, in the world. There are many reasons as to why this is. For most Japanese schools, lunch is made fresh by cooks working at the school. Most of the time, lunches in this country come with fresh vegetables every single time.
How unhealthy is school food? ›
A California Watch analysis shows 60 percent of the school lunches reviewed by the state in the past five years failed to meet at least one federal nutritional requirement.
What state has the best school lunch? ›
Massachusetts (70.53 points), Maine (70.49 points), Hawaii (68.75 points), North Dakota (65.71 points) and Virginia (65.46 points) were ranked as the top five states with the healthiest school meals, while Alaska (41.34), New Mexico (40.98), Wyoming (40.38), Idaho (34.89) and Louisiana (34.60) rounded out the bottom ...
Does school lunch affect learning? ›
Many teachers report that child hunger and food insecurity negatively affect students' concentration and academic performance, as well as increase behavioral issues. Meanwhile, research has shown that participation in school meals has a sizable impact on students' educational attainment.
How many kids don't eat lunch at school? ›
“On a given school day in 2015, we found that on average, more than 1 in 20 students reported eating no lunch all. Missing lunch was more common among older children. Close to one in ten adolescents (ages 14-17 years) reported not eating any lunch compared to only 4% of children age 6-13 years.
What do Japanese students eat for lunch? ›
Don't expect to find pizza and pasta for lunch in Japanese schools. Instead, you'll find well-balanced meals with items from each major food group. You can typically expect to see a serving of rice, soup, salad, meat, or fish on a plate. Nearly every day, lunch is served alongside a bottle of milk.
Longer school lunch periods, especially longer seated lunch times, result in less food waste as well as improved student performance, cognitive function, physical health, and social/emotional health.
Why should school lunches be longer? ›
Longer lunch periods also promote better nutrition. “Students receive significantly larger portions of fruits and vegetables with each meal and more of these produce choices are fresh, which take longer for students to consume,” said Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokesperson for the School Nutrition Association.
Why are school lunches cheap? ›
American school lunches are subsidized for students by the government, be it federal and/or state. They are not subsidized for adults, which is why they are often more expensive for teachers.
Do school lunches affect students' performance? ›
Many teachers report that child hunger and food insecurity negatively affect students' concentration and academic performance, as well as increase behavioral issues. Meanwhile, research has shown that participation in school meals has a sizable impact on students' educational attainment.
Does eating lunch improve school performance? ›
Studies have shown that longer school lunch periods are associated with increased student consumption of healthy food choices such as more fruits, vegetables and less plate waste. Additionally, there is a direct correlation between a healthy diet and a student's ability to learn and thrive.
