Acceptance for healthier school lunches growing

With nearly 31 million students now participating in the National School Lunch Program each day, sound nutrition at school plays an essential role in supporting a healthier next generation.  But when the new standards were developed by pediatricians and other child nutrition experts, USDA was also looking for students to enjoy the healthier offerings they receive.

And according to a new report, the majority of our nation’s children are accepting these new school meals.  This great news is part of a just-released study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that finds 70 percent of elementary school leaders nationwide reported that students like the healthier school lunches that rolled out in fall 2012.  Other highlights of the research include:

• Respondents at 70 percent of elementary schools reported that students liked the new lunches.
• Across all grade levels, most respondents reported that students complained initially in fall 2012, but that far fewer students were complaining by the time of the surveys in spring 2013—showing that students like healthy food as they grow more accustomed to it.
• Respondents from elementary and middle schools where a large proportion of the student body was eligible for free or reduced-price lunch reported that very few of the students were discarding the meal.

With nearly 31 million students now participating in the National School Lunch Program each day, sound nutrition at school plays an essential role in supporting a healthier next generation.  But when the new standards were developed by pediatricians and other child nutrition experts, USDA was also looking for students to enjoy the healthier offerings they receive.

And according to a new report, the majority of our nation’s children are accepting these new school meals.  This great news is part of a just-released study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that finds 70 percent of elementary school leaders nationwide reported that students like the healthier school lunches that rolled out in fall 2012.  Other highlights of the research include:

• Respondents at 70 percent of elementary schools reported that students liked the new lunches.
• Across all grade levels, most respondents reported that students complained initially in fall 2012, but that far fewer students were complaining by the time of the surveys in spring 2013—showing that students like healthy food as they grow more accustomed to it.
• Respondents from elementary and middle schools where a large proportion of the student body was eligible for free or reduced-price lunch reported that very few of the students were discarding the meal.

• Respondents at 70 percent of elementary schools reported that students liked the new lunches.
• Across all grade levels, most respondents reported that students complained initially in fall 2012, but that far fewer students were complaining by the time of the surveys in spring 2013—showing that students like healthy food as they grow more accustomed to it.
• Respondents from elementary and middle schools where a large proportion of the student body was eligible for free or reduced-price lunch reported that very few of the students were discarding the meal.