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So Much to Celebrate this National School Lunch Week

October 15, 2015
Karen Showalter's picture
Karen Showalter
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October 12-16 is National School Lunch Week, and there's so much to celebrate! 

1. Over 95% of schools are now meeting the updated meal standards, which have been in effect since 2012. (Source: USDA)

2. Students like the new options. 70% of elementary schools report that students enjoy the new options, and student acceptance of the changes is on the rise. (Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) 

3. More students are taking fruit at lunch, and the percentage of veggies consumed has increased by nearly 20%. Students aren't throwing away more food, either. (Source: UConn Rudd Center) . 

4. And parents support the new changes, too! 80% of parents are concerned about the state of their children's health. 72% favor national standards for school meals, and 91% support requiring schools to include a serving of fruits and veggies with ever meal. 75% believe salt should be limited in meals. (Source: American Heart Association)

5. Parents like us had a huge role in getting the healthy meal (and snack!) standards finalized. For example, together we submitted over 200,000 (!!!) comments in support of the healthy meal standards in 2013. WOW!!  

This is all great news, right! But there's still more work to do. Let's keep the momentum going by:

  • Supporting the healthy school meals! Let's encourage our kids to try new foods, and ask about the choices they see on the school menu. A little excitement can go a long way, and as parents we know all-too-well that change can take time!  
  • Backing up healthy school meals by promoting healthy fundraisers and classroom celebrations! Fun runs, dance-a-thons and more can be fantastic ways to raise funds. Check out some great ideas from CSPI here. 
  • Checking out many more resources and stories from parents supporting the new meal standards in our Back to School Storybook! 
  • Continuing the fight by joining MomsRising's Good Food Force! We're sharing tips for supporting schools, building healthy communities, and cultivating our power to make change happen at the local level via a Facebook group and weekly email. 

Thanks for all you do to build healthy kids, families and communities. Together, we are powerful! 

 

 

 

The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of MomsRising.org.

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