July 11, 2008 Institute of Medicine Committee Meets to Review National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee to Review the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs Meal Patterns and Nutrient Standards meeting on July 10, 2008, heard recommendations for improving school food programs from state and local government representatives, prepared foods manufacturers, researchers, and associations, representing students, parents, and school nutritionists, administrators and boards of education. Commissioned by the USDA, the IOM committee will review and assess the food and nutritional needs of school-aged children in the United States with a goal of making practical and economical recommendations to revise the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. The group will review research and input from various sources and use the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Dietary Reference Intakes to encourage standards and meal patterns that foster healthy eating habits and increase the availability of healthy foods. Common themes from the speakers included the need for required calorie and nutrient intake ranges for different age-bands, the need to balance considerations of food insecurity and hunger against an epidemic of childhood overweight, and the need to ensure that kids will eat the food served. For more information please visit, http://iom.edu/CMS/3788/54064.aspx. |
