Get the Facts

Get Involved

How can parents get involved in school meals programs?

  • Getting involved in school meals programs is easy. Start with these easy steps:
    • Review cafeteria menus with your child and be encouraging about trying new menu items. Try new foods – especially fruits and vegetables – at home and your child may be more willing to try these foods at school.
    • Visit the school cafeteria to make your own observations and have lunch. Check with the principal first to make sure that is allowed!
    • Introduce yourself to the school nutrition staff at your child’s school. They can answer questions or concerns about everything from menu options and meal preparation methods to waiting time in line.

Healthy School Meals

Today's School Lunch

  • Fresh Carrots and Grape Tomatoes

    Innovations like farm-to-school projects with locally grown produce or school gardens are impacting students' choices on the tray.

  • Fruit Medley

    A variety of colorful fruits are offered each day in cafeterias, supplying an array of essential nutrients that are critical for growth and development.

  • Low-fat or Fat-Free Milk

    Milk (white or flavored) ranks among the top sources of several nutrients including calcium, vitamin D, protein, potassium, magnesium, riboflavin and zinc.

  • Turkey & Cheese Sandwich with Whole Grain Bread

    Grains (increasingly whole grain items) and lean protein sources are served in age-appropriate portions that limit fat and saturated fat.

Are school meals nutritious?

  • School meals are healthy meals that are required to meet science-based, federal nutrition standards limiting fat and portion size and requiring that schools offer the right balance of fruits, vegetables, milk, grains and proteins with every meal.
  • On January 25, 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama announced new school meal nutrition standards that go into effect starting on July 1, 2012.  Under these standards:
    • No more than 1/3 of school lunch (1/4 of school breakfast) calories can come from fat; less than 10% from saturated fat.
    • School meals must meet strict calorie limits.
    • Schools must gradually reduce sodium levels in school meals.
    • Cafeterias must offer larger servings of vegetables and fruit with every school lunch, and children must take at least one serving.
    • Schools must offer a wide variety of vegetables, including at least a weekly serving of dark green and red/orange vegetables and legumes.
    • Milk must be fat-free or 1% (flavored milk must be fat-free).
    • Within two years, all grains offered must be whole-grain rich.

Are school meals safe?

  • School nutrition professionals care for the children they serve, and through strict food safety procedures and staff training, school nutrition professionals maintain a superior safety record while providing nutritious meals to millions of children each day. Some of the steps schools take to ensure their meals are safe include:
    • Taking at least two internal temperatures from each batch of food being cooked
    • Maintaining records of cooking, cooling, and reheating temperatures in the food preparation process – the basis for periodic reviews of the overall food safety program
    • Prechilling all salad ingredients to help maintain cold food temperatures
    • Preheating transfer carts before food is transported

Why should I encourage my children to eat school meals?

  • Providing students their choice of milk, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, school meals are a great value and a huge convenience for busy parents. School cafeterias offer students a variety of healthy choices and help children learn how to assemble a well-balanced meal. Parents can rest assured that there’s no super-sizing in school cafeterias because federal regulations require schools to serve age-appropriate portions.

Don’t school meals contain processed foods?

  • What have become known as “processed foods” are increasingly being prepared with healthier ingredients, as well as less fat, sodium and sugar.
    • Pizzas are increasingly made with whole grain crusts, low-sodium sauce and reduced fat cheese.
    • Chicken nuggets regularly use whole grain breading and are baked rather than fried.
    • French fries are often without trans fat and baked instead of fried – and many schools are now serving baked sweet potato fries

My child’s school has vending machines – are the foods sold in these machines subject to the same regulations as school meals?

  • Currently, foods sold in school vending machines, snack bars and a la carte lines are not required to meet federal nutrition standards. However, The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act requires the federal government to create standards for these “competitive foods.” Once these regulations are developed, all foods sold in school will be healthy choices. The law does not impact food brought in from home, served at classroom parties or available though school fundraisers, but some schools have established their own restrictions on these items.

What are the beverage options with school meals?

  • School nutrition programs offer fat-free or low-fat milk (flavored or regular) with each meal. School meals offer flavored milk as an option because experts agree that to ensure intake of calcium, vitamin D, protein and other nutrients important for growth and development, it is better for children and adolescents to drink flavored milk than to avoid milk altogether. In fact, leading health and nutrition organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association, American Dietetic Association, the National Medical Association, and School Nutrition Association, have all expressed their support for low-fat and fat-free milk in schools, including flavored milk.
  • This school year the majority of flavored milk choices will be less than 150 calories – just 31 calories more than white milk.  Fat-free and low-fat chocolate milks are projected to contain 38% less sugar than just five years ago, according to a new national analysis of flavored milk in school.  Milk processors continue to work hard to provide nutritious new products with the same great taste kids love.
  • To find out more on the importance of flavored milk to a student’s nutrition click here, and review these handouts with facts about milk’s benefits and how it stacks up nutritionally to other popular beverages.
  • Federal law prohibits the sale of soda in the cafeteria during the school lunch period. State and local regulations may further prohibit the sale of soda before or after the lunch period or in other locations on the school campus.

How are school nutrition programs working to make healthy meals kid-friendly?

  • Children can be notoriously picky eaters, but school nutrition directors are always working to find new healthy recipes that children are willing to eat. Many conduct student taste tests and involve students in menu planning.
  • Schools and the foodservice industry are making student favorites more healthy, such as serving pizza on whole grain bread with low-sodium sauce and low-fat cheese. Students often don’t even notice the difference. School nutrition programs also work to incorporate culturally appropriate foods into their menus to meet the tastes of their diverse student populations, as well as provide alternative foods for students with dietary restrictions and allergies.

Are school nutrition programs supporting Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign?

  • As members of the School Nutrition Association, 53,000 school nutrition professionals are partnering with Let’s Move! in support of programs that further the health and well being of the nation’s children.

How many schools participate in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs?

  • The National School Lunch Program operates in nearly 95% of America’s schools, providing lunches to more than 31 million children daily with 5 billion lunches served annually. Approximately 85% of schools participate in the National School Breakfast Program (NSBP), which serves more than 11 million children daily, or 1.9 billion breakfasts a year.

Do all students have access to the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs?

  • All children at participating schools may purchase meals, meeting federal nutrition standards, through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, but families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free or reduced price meals. Families receive applications for the free and reduced price program from their school nutrition department at the start of the school year.

School Nutrition Association - About Us

What is the School Nutrition Association?

  • The School Nutrition Association (formerly American School Food Service Association) is a national, nonprofit professional organization representing more than 53,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country.

What does the School Nutrition Association do?

  • The School Nutrition Association works to ensure all children have access to healthful school meals and nutrition education by:
    • Providing members with education and training
    • Setting standards through certification and credentialing
    • Gathering and transmitting regulatory, legislative, industry, nutritional and other information related to school nutrition
    • Representing the nutritional interests of all children

When did the School Nutrition Association begin?

  • Recognized as the authority on school nutrition, the School Nutrition Association (SNA) has been advancing the availability, quality and acceptance of school nutrition programs as an integral part of education since 1946.

Is the School Nutrition Association related to the School Nutrition Foundation?

  • In 1964, SNA established a sister organization called the School Nutrition Foundation, which plays a critical role by raising money for professional development and outreach programs, as well as providing members with tuition assistance opportunities.

Is the School Nutrition Association active around the country?

  • With 52 state affiliates, hundreds of local chapters and thousands of school nutrition members and industry partners, SNA brings a unique, firsthand perspective to child nutrition issues.

Is the School Nutrition Association affiliated with any other organizations?

  • Click here for a full list of our allied organizations.

Where can I get more information on healthy school meals?

Success Stories

How can I share my success story?

  • We can’t wait to hear what healthy innovations you’ve seen in your school cafeterias! Click here to share your school nutrition success story with us. We’ll pick some of the most innovative and exciting stories to share here on Tray Talk!

What should I submit?

  • We want to see and hear your stories of school nutrition success! Fill out the form located here and upload your images, article, podcasts, and other audio or written files for inclusion on Tray Talk.

Is there a way to see where other success stories have been submitted?

  • We’ll be featuring some of the most interesting stories we receive from your submissions right here on Tray Talk! Stay tuned for the latest news in how school nutrition programs are creating healthy meals for kids.