The federal government has prescribed nutritional requirements for school meals since the authorization of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in 1946. Such requirements have changed throughout the course of history. Current law requires the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe "minimum nutritional requirements" based on…

This report starts with an overview of child nutrition programs' funding structure and then provides detail on each program, including a discussion of how they are administered, eligibility rules for institutions and participants, nutritional and other program requirements, and recent policy changes. Changes to child nutrition programs that have…

The federal government has a long history of investing in programs for feeding children, starting with federal aid for school lunch programs in the 1930s. Today, federal child nutrition programs support food served to children in schools and a variety of other institutional settings. The child nutrition programs support meals and snacks served to…

From 2009 to 2010, the Community Food Security Coalition advocated for more federal support and funding for farm-to-school programs as Congress considered reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act. Farm-to-school initiatives aim to improve the quality and healthfulness of student meals through the inclusion of more fresh fruits and vegetables provided…

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is the second largest federally subsidized food assistance program, serving approximately 31 million lunches each day. Nearly all public and private schools offer the federally reimbursed school meals program, which cost the federal government $9.3 billion to operate in 2008. This Issue Brief highlights the…

These hearings before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs are organized in three parts: Part I: "Overview--Consultants' Recommendations," with opening statements by Senators Schweiker and McGovern, followed by the presentations of other witnesses. This section focuses on important nutrition education issues that the committee…

The Food Safety Knowledge Network (FSKN) is a collaboration between Michigan State University, the Global Food Safety Initiative of the Consumer Goods Forum, and other food industry and public sector partners. FSKN's goal is to help strengthen the food industry's response to the complex food safety knowledge and training challenges that affect…

These hearings before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs are organized in several parts (See UD 013 650 for Parts 1, 2, and 2A). The purpose of these hearings is to review the quality of advertising now being directed at children, and the health implications of that advertising; as well as what steps can be taken to use…

Explains standards laid out in Federal Circular A-120 to ensure accountability, uniformity of standards, legal compliance, and efficiency in school food service procurement. Includes bidding and contract award procedures, contract compliance considerations, and cost-cutting methods. (MCG)

This guide presents information on the Child Care Food Program (CCFP), a federal program in which funds are made available to child care centers and family day care homes to assist them in providing nutritious meals to the children in attendance. In an effort to encourage community participation in the program, information is presented on 22…

A revolutionary, fast-food school lunch program has raised participation by 202 percent, created a half-million dollar surplus in the school food service account, and meets the federal school lunch program requirement. (Author/MLF)

These hearings before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs are organized in four parts, the contents of which are as follows. The first part concerns "Unused food assistance funds and food stamps," with opening statements by Senators Percy and McGovern, followed by the presentations of other witnesses. The focus of…

The application of operations research techniques to a public school system's lunch program suggests a possible solution to the problem of rapidly increasing program costs. A computer-assisted menu planner was developed which generated a monthly set of menus satisfying nutritional and Federal standards, and food demand cycles. When compared to the…

This booklet presents information on a Federal program which provides funds to institutions that feed children not in school. Day care, Head Start, and neighborhood centers and summer recreation programs qualify for aid under this program. Section I deals with the operation of the Special Food Services Program for Children (SFSPC) and is divided…

The two basic family feeding programs are food stamps and commodity distribution. The current food stamp program provides the poor with spending power enough to purchase at the level of the Department of Agriculture's Economy Food Plan. The dollar equivalent of this plan is 112 dollars a month for a family of four. This amounts to an average per…