Schools Do Not Meet Dietary Guidelines

A new Institute of Medicine (IOM) review of the nation's school breakfast and lunch programs finds that children are not consuming enough fruits and vegetables, Reuters reports. Commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to inform updates and revisions to the National School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program, an IOM committee produced the 192-page report, culling data from two recent nutrition profiles of students between ages 5 and 18 and comparing that data to USDA MyPyramid recommendations. According to the findings, the children evaluated in the report consumed less than the recommended daily amount of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, meats, beans and milk and more than the recommended amount of calories from sugars and fats. Noting that the two school meal programs provide 40 million meals each day, and that many children consume as much as half of their daily calories at school, the report highlights the importance of ensuring that schools are providing nutritious meals. To that end, the IOM recommends establishing nutrient-intake targets by age and gender and setting a goal for the percentage of nutrients that should come from school-based meals. The report notes that the proposed school nutrition targets will need to be evaluated based on cost, feasibility and consumer demand. The IOM's proposed revisions are now open for public comment, and in the fall of 2009 the IOM will issue a second report based on this feedback with specific recommendations (Doering, Reuters, 12/17/08; Institute of Medicine release, 12/17/08; IOM report, December 2008).

Provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.