Meals Offered and Served in US Public Schools: Do They Meet Nutrient Standards?

The study found that more than 85 percent of schools offered reimbursable lunches that met USDA standards for key target nutrients—protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron—but none of the schools served lunches that met the sodium benchmark, and only one in three served lunches that met the saturated fat standard. At least 90 percent of schools that offered breakfast met the vitamin and mineral requirements, and most met the standards for fat and saturated fat, but they fell short on meeting sodium and fiber benchmarks.