The National School Lunch improvements

The National School Lunch improvements

The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946. President Lyndon Johnson extended the program by offering breakfast to school children in a 2 year pilot program, starting in 1966. By 1975 breakfast was offered to all public or non-profit private schools.

On January 26, 2012 the Final Rule of the Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs established a timeline for improvements in the child nutrition program. Among the improvements were included a higher ratio of whole grains and a sodium reduction timeline. Click here for the Federal Register link.

Here is a USDA link showing the table of sodium reduction targets and timelines.

The end goal is a 25% sodium reduction in school meals achieved over a three stage process, in both breakfasts and lunches, over a 10 year period.

SPI Group has been involved in sodium reduction by providing various tools that help reduce sodium levels. These include patented Potassium chloride products, Sea salt with naturally lower levels of sodium, autolyzed yeast with Potassium chloride and low sodium phosphate blends.

Please feel free to contact your SPI Group representative if you have any technical question or request.