New NSLP Guidelines: Challenges and Opportunities for Nutrition Education Practitioners and Researchers

Abstract

The recent revisions of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) requirements are designed to align with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The introduction and implementation of the new NSLP has been received with positive and negative reactions from school food professionals, students, parents, and teachers. To promote student health, this is an important time for policy makers, practitioners, and researchers to implement and evaluate strategies to support the new NSLP guidelines. The purpose of this viewpoint was to outline the new NSLP guidelines and discuss challenges and opportunities for implementation, strategies for practice, and future research questions.

Perceived Reactions of Elementary School Students to Changes in School Lunches after Implementation of the United States Department of Agriculture's New Meals Standards: Minimal Backlash, but Rural and Socioeconomic Disparities Exist

“…The new standards bring the potential for major improvements in the quality of school lunches, but also created many implementation challenges for school and district food service personnel. 12 A recent study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicated that student participation in the NSLP dipped by 3.7% from 2010-2011 to 2012-2013 and concluded that decreased participation-which occurred mainly among full-pricepaying students-may have been the result of increased meal prices and/or decreased student acceptance of the new lunches. 13 The GAO also surveyed state child nutrition directors during the summer of 2013, and respondents confirmed that implementing the new regulations had been challenging.…”

Food Service Perspectives on National School Lunch Program Implementation

“…Similar recommendations for increased creativity on the part of directors as a way to maintain participation has appeared elsewhere. 31 Directors also reported using this skill to continue to offer items their students like, an important predictor of satisfaction. 32 Initial reports of student perceptions have indicated students complained about the new offerings initially, but that these completes have decreased over time.…”

“…Other reports on implementation of the new NSLP guidelines have found similar challenges related to complexity and cost of the policy components , and have also highlighted the benefits of staff training. 31 Further, district administrators and school boards, and parents and students are groups important to the implementation process . The CFIR recognizes the importance of these different groups of stakeholders in a successful implementation process.…”

A Qualitative Study on Factors that Influence Students’ Food Choices

“…Use of taste testing sessions to expose students to new menu items would be an effective strategy successfully used in marketing to increase food acceptability. Taste, visual appeal, and cultural/ethnic appropriateness are factors that should be considered when designing school menus to ensure that students will support the foods offered, and Wansink, et al also suggest using familiar and attractive words when naming foods in order to enhance the opportunity of that food being chosen [29,15].…”