Background on the USDA Food and Nutrition Service-Sponsored School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Report Series

This report describes exploratory work to develop a simulation model to predict the potential effects of changes in policies and practices related to school meals and school food environments.

In school year 2004-2005, competitive foods were widely available and consumed in US public schools. The most commonly consumed competitive foods and beverages were low in nutrients and energy-dense. On average, children who consumed competitive foods took in more than 175 calories that were low...

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...

Limiting children’s access to low-nutrient, energy-dense foods at school may hold promise as a tactic for reducing children’s total calorie intake and controlling BMI.