School & District Management Report Roundup

Studies Suggest School Cafeterias Still Need to Trim the Fat

By Debra Viadero — February 10, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

School lunches and breakfasts are getting more healthful, but they still contain too much fat and too many calories, according to the latest national evaluation of the federal government’s school-meals program.

The federally funded evaluation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program is based on studies of a nationally representative sample of school meal programs in 398 public schools in 130 districts. The results were published this month in a special issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

According to a summary of the findings, most K-12 schools are providing more nutritious meals than they did during the 1998-99 school year, which was the last time federal evaluators checked. But the researchers concluded that schools still need to cut down on saturated fat and sodium and offer more fresh fruit, whole-grain breads, and legumes.

Drawing on health and dietary data for more than 2,300 students in the study, the researchers also found links between the nutritional quality of school meals and students’ body-mass indexes. For example, elementary school students were more likely to be overweight when their schools offered french fries or desserts more than once a week. Among middle and high school students, attending a school with vending machines stocked with junk food was associated with obesity.

On the other hand, children who ate breakfast at school had lower body-mass indexes, on average, than peers who did not.

The researchers found that students who ate school-provided lunches got more energy-rich nutrients than their brown-bagging counterparts. That’s mostly because they were four times more likely to drink milk, rather than sugary juice drinks. Switching from whole milk to skim or low-fat milk, the report adds, is one way schools could make those lunches even more healthful.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the February 11, 2009 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Evidence & Impact: Maximizing ROI in Professional Learning
  Is your professional learning driving real impact? Learn data-driven strategies to design effective PL.
Content provided by New Teacher Center
Budget & Finance Webinar School Finance in an Uncertain Age
Navigating the new school finance reality? Get key insights from the 2025 Allovue Education Finance Survey in partnership.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Well Do You Understand K-12 Leaders’ Social Media Habits?
Test your knowledge of how school and district leaders use social media—what platforms they prefer, how often they post, and getting their attention.
School & District Management A Superintendent's Balancing Act Amid Trump's DEI Crackdown
Districts are trying to navigate a dizzying pace of new federal orders and continue working with as little fanfare as possible.
6 min read
Tightly cropped photo of an African American woman's hands around a paper cutout of different colored paper people.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion 5 Cost-Free Ways to Make Life Better for Teachers (Downloadable)
Two educators offer school leaders simple suggestions for improving the lives of teachers and students in this guide.
Diana Laufenberg & Renee Jones
1 min read
Clock on desk with school supplies on the table.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Q&A Speaking Up for Students Is Part of This Principal's Job
Terri Daniels, the National Advocacy Champion of the Year, says principals must advocate on behalf of their students.
6 min read
California principal and NASSP Advocacy Champion award winner Terri Daniels poses with NASSP President Raquel Martinez and NASSP CEO Ronn Nozo.
Terri Daniels, the principal of Folsom Middle School in California, poses with National Association of Secondary School Principals President Raquel Martinez and NASSP CEO Ronn Nozo. Daniels was named the 2025 NASSP Advocacy Champion of the Year and recognized in Washington, D.C., on April 11.
Courtesy of NASSP