National School Lunch Act facts for kids

Children eating a meal as part of the school lunch program at a classroom in Maryland. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) deputy under secretary Janey Thornton is present for an event to launch International School Meals Day on March 8, 2013. The class is video conferencing to a school in Ayrshire, Scotland, with some of their children visible on the screens.

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a program in the United States that helps schools offer low-cost or free lunch meals to students. It was created by a law called the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act in 1946. President Harry S. Truman signed this law. The program was started to help farmers by buying their extra food. At the same time, it made sure that school children had enough to eat.

Schools that join the program get money for each meal they serve. They also receive extra food from farm surpluses. In 2007, the National School Lunch Program served over 30 million children every day. Many students who get school lunch also get food during the summer through another program.

How School Lunches Started

School meal programs in the United States began a long time ago. They started with private groups and charities. These groups cared about children's well-being and education. For example, in 1853, the Children's Aid Society in New York began serving meals to students.

Early City Programs

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, more cities started school lunch programs.

• In Philadelphia, a group began serving "penny lunches" in 1894. Later, the school board took over the program. They wanted to make sure the lunches were healthy and based on good nutrition.
• In Boston, hot lunches were offered to high schools starting in 1908. A central kitchen made the food and sent it to different schools.
• By 1914, in New York City, over 24,000 children were getting homemade lunches. Some weaker students also received a morning snack of crackers and hot milk.

Government Support for School Meals

As school lunch programs grew, local governments and schools found it hard to pay for everything. So, the federal government started to help.

Early Federal Aid

The first federal help came in the 1930s during the Great Depression. This was a time when many people were out of work. The government gave money to towns to pay for people to prepare and serve school lunches. This help expanded to many states.

Helping Farmers and Kids

The Great Depression also meant farmers had too much food that they couldn't sell. Many children were also not getting enough to eat. So, a law was passed in 1936 to help both problems. The government bought farm products and gave them to needy families and school lunch programs. This meant farmers could sell their food, and children got healthy meals. By 1939, over 14,000 schools were getting food for their lunch programs. They were serving nearly 900,000 children daily.

Changes to the School Lunch Program

Since the National School Lunch Act became law, Congress has made changes to it.

Program Updates

• In 1962, the way money was given to states changed. Congress decided that states with more poverty should get more help.
• In 1968, the program improved food options for students with special dietary needs.

Focus on Healthy Eating

More recently, in 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama worked to make school lunches even healthier. These changes focused on specific nutrition rules.

• New standards for food groups were added, like different types of vegetables.
• Serving sizes for meat and grains were adjusted for different age groups.
• Schools now had to offer whole grains.
• Rules were set for milk fat content.
• Lower calorie limits and a plan to reduce salt over 10 years also started in 2012.

Nutrition, Learning, and Behavior

Good nutrition is very important for how children's brains develop and how well they do in school. Children who don't eat well might have less energy and find it harder to focus. Teachers and studies have shown a clear link between what kids eat and their behavior and ability to learn.

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 helped update the nutrition rules for school lunch and breakfast programs. This law made sure schools offered healthier meals for five years.

• Students now have to choose a fruit or vegetable with every meal.
• Portions of fruits and vegetables must be larger.
• Foods used in school meals must have almost no trans fat.
• Meals also have limits on total fat and saturated fat.

Studies show that certain nutrients, like iron and vitamin B12, are key for learning. Not enough iron can lead to slower thinking and lower math scores.

Food Safety in School Lunches

Making sure school lunch food is safe is very important.

Safety Checks

A report in 2009 looked at how school lunch programs checked for germs like bacteria in beef and chicken. It found that fast food restaurants were often more strict. However, a 2018 study by the USDA and University of Connecticut found good news. Beef for the National School Lunch Program had fewer problems in safety checks than beef sold to other places. Between 2005 and 2014, there were no outbreaks of serious food poisoning like Salmonella or E. coli linked to beef in the school lunch program. But there were many such outbreaks in regular store-bought ground beef during the same time.

Who Participates in School Lunch?

In the late 1960s, about 73% of students were in schools that offered the National School Lunch Program. However, only about 37% of all students actually ate the school lunch.

Why Some Don't Participate

Many reasons kept students from joining the program.

• Some older school buildings, especially in cities or rural areas, didn't have good kitchens or lunchrooms. It was too expensive to change them.
• Some schools believed that parents should be fully responsible for their child's lunch.
• Many high school students preferred to bring lunch from home or buy snacks from vending machines. Sometimes, the school lunch portions weren't big enough for older students.

Native American and Children of Color Participation

The school lunch program helps many students from different backgrounds. In 2014, it was reported that 68% of Native American and Alaska Native students could get free or reduced-price lunches. This was much higher than for white students (28%). USDA data showed that 70% of children getting free lunches were children of color. Many Native American schools are now trying to improve school lunches. They use food from school gardens or even buffalo meat from their tribes.

Challenges for School Lunch Programs

Even with all its benefits, the National School Lunch Program faces some challenges.

Balancing Nutrition and Calories

One challenge is making sure meals are healthy without having too many calories. In the past, the program focused a lot on calories to fight malnutrition. But now, with more concerns about obesity, schools need to balance calories with good nutrition. It can be hard for schools to meet national health rules while also making food kids want to eat.

Competitive Foods

"Competitive foods" are any foods sold in schools that are not part of the main lunch program. This includes fast food, separate food lines, and vending machines. Often, these foods are not as healthy as the school lunch. A study in 2009-2010 found that very few school districts had strong rules about how healthy these competitive foods should be. This means kids often choose less healthy options if they are available.

Food Waste

A big problem is how much food students throw away. In one study in Boston, students threw away almost half of their fruit and most of their vegetables. This means a lot of money is wasted each year. One reason for waste might be competitive foods. Studies show that when schools have more vending machines or separate food lines, students eat fewer fruits and vegetables.

Rising Costs

It's getting more expensive for schools to provide lunches. Many schools report that the cost of making lunch is higher than the money they get back from the program. This extra cost often comes from the school's general budget, which can be a strain. Rising food prices and health care costs for employees also add to the problem.

National School Lunch Week

Every year, there is a "National School Lunch Week." It happens on the second Sunday in October. Since 1962, the United States Congress has asked the president to make an official announcement. This encourages the country to celebrate the week and recognize the importance of school lunches.