National School Lunch Nutrition Standards: Making Kids Hungry or Healthy?

摘要

As of July 1, 2012, school cafeterias are required by the USDA to serve students lunches with more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains than previous requirements. The new lunch standards are also derived from menus that have a cap on calories by grade range. While the need to bring healthier options to school-based meals as a way of addressing childhood obesity is widely agreed upon, there have been conflicting reactions from school districts across the country to the mandated changes. To explore how the same nutrition standards are being met with such differing reactions, Childhood Obesity approached two representative school districts—one in favor and one against the mandates from the federal school lunch program.