Latest School meal Stories

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The new standards for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program - recently announced by First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack - will bring changes to the meals served in lunchrooms across America. As school communities prepare to implement the new standards, they must rely upon trusted industry partners to supply nutritious foods and ingredients....

About half of all public and private elementary school students could buy food in one or more competitive venues on campus (vending machines, school stores, snack bars or a la carte lines) by the 2009-2010 school year and sugary foods were available to almost all students with access to these options, according to a report published in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Access to healthier options was limited with...

LIVINGSTON, Calif., Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Much to the dismay of American schoolchildren, the corn dog is threatened to become an endangered lunch option in public schools. To meet the needs of kids, parents and school districts alike, Foster Farms introduces the new 100% Whole Grain, Lower-Fat, Lower-Sodium Chicken Corn Dog for foodservice customers, with a full serving of whole grain, 47 percent less fat, further reduced sodium, higher fiber, zero trans fat and fewer...

ROSEMONT, Ill., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new Nutritional Standards for School Meals help ensure the nation's schoolchildren have access to lunches and breakfasts that meet federal dietary guidance for good nutrition. The standards will encourage students to meet federal recommendations for dairy consumption by requiring that either fat-free flavored milk or low-fat or fat-free white milk be offered with each school meal. As...

NAPLES, Fla., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D., a board certified physician in the field of healthy weight management, and the founding physician of BistroMD, the weight loss program that provides delicious meals for a lighter, healthier you, explains why encouraging children to help with meal prep is crucial to teaching them healthy eating habits. "One of the best ways to teach your child about proper nutrition is to encourage them to help you prepare...

First lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced during a visit with elementary students on Wednesday that schools will soon be seeing a major overhaul in their food selections. Part of the new rules will see some foods, like pizza, contain less sodium and more whole grains.  Also, they are planning to add a wider selection of fruits and vegetables on the side. "When we send our kids to school, we expect that they won't be eating the kind of fatty, salty,...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) made a bold move to ensure children, regardless of their cultural food preferences, will receive healthy meals at school. Besides adding more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to the school menus, the new USDA rule will allow schools to serve tofu, along with other soyfoods and soymilk, to children who regularly consume these foods at home. (Logo:...

Congress is fighting back an Obama administration push to take foods like pizza and french fries out of school lunches. The final version of a spending bill released on Monday would limit the use of potatoes on the lunch line, put new restrictions on sodium, and boost the use of whole grains. The USDA wanted to prevent schools from being allowed to consider tomato paste on pizzas as a vegetable, which is how things currently stand. Food companies that produce frozen pizzas for...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Citing Defense Department estimates that 1 in 4 young adults are too overweight to join the military, more than 100 retired generals and admirals urged Congress today to reject new efforts from special interests to get Congress to create a "pizza loophole" that treats the tomato paste on pizza as a serving of vegetables on school lunch menus. Obesity is the leading medical disqualifier for military service, and children get up to...

The federally funded National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides free and reduced-price meals to more than 31 million children every school day, according to its website. And a recent study by current and former Iowa State University researchers confirmed that school lunches improve the health outcomes of children who reside in low-income households. The researchers analyzed data from nearly 2,700 NSLP children (ages 6-17) taken from the 2001-04 National Health and Nutrition Examination...