Research
Original Research
Updated Nutrition Standards Have Significantly Improved the Nutritional Quality of School Lunches and Breakfasts

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2019.10.022Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Implementation of updated nutrition standards for school meals began during school year (SY) 2012-2013. The standards were designed to improve the nutritional quality of the meals and their consistency with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Objective

To assess the nutritional quality of school lunches and breakfasts after the updated standards were in place and compare it with the nutritional quality of the meals before the updated standards.

Design

School menu data were used from two cross-sectional, nationally representative studies of schools participating in the National School Lunch Program during SY 2014-2015 (School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study) and SY 2009-2010 (fourth School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study).

Participants/setting

The analysis used 1 week of school menu data from 1,206 schools at lunch and 1,110 schools at breakfast for SY 2014-2015, and 884 schools at lunch and 802 schools at breakfast for SY 2009-2010.

Outcome measures

Healthy Eating Index 2010 scores were estimated.

Statistical analyses

Descriptive analyses were conducted to estimate mean Healthy Eating Index 2010 total and component scores for school meals. Scores are expressed as a percentage of maximum possible scores. Two-tailed t tests were used to assess differences in scores before and after updated standards were in place.

Results

Total Healthy Eating Index 2010 scores for school lunches and breakfasts increased significantly after the updated standards. Between SY 2009-2010 and SY 2014-2015, the total score for school lunches increased from 58% of the maximum score to 82%, and the total score for school breakfasts increased from 50% to 71% (P<0.05). For both meals, component scores increased by more than 20 percentage points for whole grains, refined grains, and empty calories, as well as for greens and beans for lunches and whole fruit and sodium for breakfasts.

Conclusions

The updated nutrition standards for schools meals significantly improved the nutritional quality of the meals and their consistency with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Section snippets

Materials and Methods

School menu data from SY 2014-2015 were used to assess the nutritional quality of meals after the updated standards were in place. These data were collected as part of the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (SNMCS), which was funded by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and examined a broad array of other topics, including the school food environment, student participation and dietary intakes, plate waste, and the cost of producing school meals.19, 20, 21, 22, 23 The study was designed to

School Lunches

The mean total HEI-2010 score for school lunches served in SY 2014-2015 was 82% of the maximum possible score (Table 2). School lunches received near-perfect scores (defined as 95% of the maximum possible score or higher) for four of the adequacy components—total fruit, whole fruit, whole grains, and dairy. The score for total protein foods was slightly lower (90%) and was followed by scores for total vegetables, greens and beans, fatty acids, and seafood and plant proteins. Among the

Discussion

These national results show that the lunches and breakfasts served in schools across the United States were more nutritious after the updated nutrition standards were in place and were largely consistent with DGA recommendations.6,7 In addition, these findings suggest that school lunches and breakfasts served during SY 2014-2015 were of higher nutritional quality than children’s overall diets. Based on the most recently reported national data, children’s 24-hour intakes during 2011 and 2012 had

Conclusions

The updated nutrition standards for school meals have significantly improved the nutritional quality of the meals and their consistency with the DGA. These results provide strong evidence that nutrition standards are important in ensuring that children have access to healthy meals during the school day. In the future, it will be important to monitor the nutritional quality of school meals, especially after schools have time to overcome implementation challenges with the standards, implement new

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Kelley Monzella, Katherine Niland, and Ronette Briefel for their contributions to the study and article. The authors also thank staff at Food and Nutrition Service of the US Department of Agriculture, including John Endahl, Alice Ann Gola, Kelley Scanlon, Margaret Applebaum, and Sara Olson, for their guidance and oversight of the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study.

E. C. Gearan is a senior researcher and deputy director of nutrition policy research, Mathematica, Cambridge, MA.

References (42)

  • National level annual summary tables: FY 1969-2019, National School Lunch: Participation and lunches served

  • National level annual summary tables: FY 1969-2019, School Breakfast Program: participation and meals served

  • Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010

  • Final rule: Nutrition standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. 77 Federal Register...
  • Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. 7th edition

  • School meals: Building blocks for healthy children

    (2010)
  • K. Smith et al.

    School lunch quality following healthy, hunger-free kids act implementation

    J Child Nutr Manag

    (2016)
  • D.B. Johnson et al.

    Effect of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act on the nutritional quality of meals selected by students and school lunch participation rates

    JAMA Pediatr

    (2016)
  • L. Turner et al.

    Improvements and disparities in types of foods and milk beverages offered in elementary school lunches, 2006-2007 to 2013-2014

    Prev Chronic Dis

    (2016)
  • E.A. Bergman et al.

    School lunch before and after implementation of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act

    J Child Nutr Manag

    (2014)
  • S. Amin et al.

    Impact of the National School Lunch Program on fruit and vegetable selection in northeastern elementary schoolchildren, 2012-2013

    Public Health Rep

    (2015)
  • Cited by (34)

    View all citing articles on Scopus

    E. C. Gearan is a senior researcher and deputy director of nutrition policy research, Mathematica, Cambridge, MA.

    M. K. Fox is senior fellow and director of nutrition policy research, Mathematica, Cambridge, MA.

    AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS E. C. Gearan conducted the analyses with technical guidance from M. K. Fox. E. C. Gearan wrote the first draft of the manuscript with contributions from M. K. Fox. Both authors reviewed and commented on subsequent drafts of the manuscript.

    STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

    FUNDING/SUPPORT The studies were funded by the Food and Nutrition Service of the US Department of Agriculture.

    View full text