Variation in Nutritional Quality of School Lunches With Implementation of National School Lunch Program Guidelines

Abstract

Results indicate the possibility for significant variation in nutritional quality of NSLP-qualifying lunches. Using CACFP best practices and DGA recommendations may significantly impact school lunch dietary quality.

Variability in Dietary Quality of Elementary School Lunch Menus with Changes in National School Lunch Program Nutrition Standards

“…The current study adds to the idea that NSLP policy changes moved in a positive direction with implementation of the HHFKA. Another study by Joyce et al ( 10 ) examined differences between a typical school lunch menu, meeting baseline HHFKA NSLP nutrition standards, and a best practice school lunch menu, optimizing nutrition. This study found that applying best practices to a school lunch menu could significantly further improve the HEI score of NSLP-qualifying school lunches ( 11 ).…”

“…The sample size included 30 school days (6 wk) for each experimental menu type based on a similar study by Joyce et al ( 10 ). Power calculations were conducted to ensure that this sample size provided adequate power to detect significant differences between the experimental menus (Power and Sample Size Calculator, HyLown Consulting LLC, version 2018).…”

“…Power was set at 0.80, and the level of significance was at 0.05, for a 2-tailed, 2-sample t test. Power analysis, based on the Joyce et al ( 10 ) study, suggested the need for a sample size of 2 d. A sample size of 30 d was chosen to exceed that suggestion and cover most full-cycle menu lengths.…”

“…DQ assesses the healthfulness of a diet or eating pattern by comparing food and/or nutrient consumption to established recommendations for a healthy diet ( 4 , 9 ). With the HHFKA in place, the DQ score, using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2010, of a school lunch was reported to be between a 77 and an 82 out of 100, which was a 41% increase from previous standards ( 10 , 11 ). Considering over half of US children participate in the NSLP and that the average US child's diet has a HEI score of 53 out of 100, which needs improvement according to the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP), the 41% increase in DQ of school lunches could be greatly benefitting a large proportion of US children ( 4 , 11 ).…”

Community Eligibility Provision and School Meal Participation among Student Subgroups

“…Low participation in school meals is a concern for nutrition and education professionals, particularly in high‐poverty areas, because students who do not eat school meals may rely on less nutritious alternatives 4,10 . Whereas school meals must meet federal nutrition standards, which have induced improvements in dietary quality over time, 11 meals brought from home are not subject to any standard. Children who eat school lunch are more likely to have fruits, vegetables, and dairy, 12 less sodium and energy from sugar, 13 and lower intake of sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs) 14 compared to those bringing lunch from home; and eating school lunch is associated with lower BMI z‐scores among boys 15 .…”