Facts About School Nutrition

Facts About School Nutrition
© The Pew Charitable Trusts

Lawton Chiles Middle School in Seminole County, Florida, offers students an enticing variety of healthy options as they walk through the lunch line.

Meals and snacks sold in schools are getting healthier, thanks in part to updated nutrition standards that Congress requested in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. More than 90 percent of districts nationwide are meeting stronger standards for school lunches, supporting student health with more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and fewer foods high in calories, salt, and fat. Similar improvements are coming in the 2014-15 school year to snacks and beverages sold in vending machines, school stores, a la carte lines, and snack bars.

Browse the resources below to get the facts about school nutrition standards and how they contribute to students’ health.