school lunches

In this photo illustration, a pack of Lunchables is displayed on Wednesday in San Anselmo, Calif. Consumer Reports is asking for the Department of Agriculture to eliminate Lunchables food kits from the National School Lunch Program after finding high levels of lead, sodium and cadmium in tested kits.

Consumer Reports asks USDA to remove Lunchables from schools' lunch menus

2:56pm April 10, 2024

The group found high levels of sodium and the presence of heavy metals in meal kits it tested. A Kraft Heinz spokesperson said all of its products meet strict safety standards.

A student at Professor Lourdes Heredia Mello Municipal School in São Paulo enjoys an apple for dessert after lunch. Brazil's school lunch program, enshrined in its constitution, is a pillar of the country's anti-poverty efforts.

The pandemic sent hunger soaring in Brazil. They're fighting back with school lunches

2:41pm January 08, 2024

by Jill Langlois

Free school lunches, a pillar of Brazil's anti-poverty efforts, are now one of its main weapons against surging post-pandemic hunger. And that's not the only benefit.

The White House is proposing pilot programs for Medicare to cover medically tailored meals — like the ones in this file photo — as well as nutrition and obesity counselling.

Why the White House wants to put nutrition labels on the front of food packages

2:49pm September 27, 2022

by Ximena Bustillo

The Biden administration unveiled its plan to end hunger and diet-related diseases in eight years — 40 pages of ideas to make nutritious food easier to get in America.

Three million people would lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits under a proposed rule change by the Trump administration.

National

Comment Period Ends For Proposal That Would Cut SNAP Benefits For Millions

5:00am November 01, 2019

by Pam Fessler

The Trump administration says it wants to close a "loophole" that allows states to give benefits to those who would not otherwise be eligible by raising or eliminating income and asset limits.

Former first lady Michelle Obama waves alongside school children while walking down the school lunchline after getting turkey tacos at Parklawn Elementary School in Alexandria, Va., in January 2012 to promote new nutritional guidelines for school lunches.

Trump Administration Rolls Back Michelle Obama's Healthy School Lunch Push

10:02pm May 01, 2017

by Jessica Taylor

The Department of Agriculture is curbing some school lunch standards championed by the former first lady, including stricter requirements on whole grains and sodium content.

Many large-scale farms rely heavily on immigrant labor. And many farmers are opposed to Donald Trump's strong stance against illegal immigrant.

Big Battles Over Farm And Food Policies May Be Brewing As Trump Era Begins

3:30pm December 28, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump hasn't said much about food and farm policy or named his choices for top food-related jobs. But the coming years will likely see profound battles over food and nutrition.

Students at Doherty Middle School in Andover, Mass., choose items from the salad bar in the school cafeteria, June 2012. Among other things, a Senate compromise on school nutrition standards calls for the USDA and the CDC to establish new guidance that wo

Food Fight Fizzles As Senate Nears Compromise on School Nutrition Rules

4:18pm January 20, 2016

by Allison Aubrey

The deal OK'd by a key Senate panel preserves stricter school nutrition standards enacted since 2010, but it gives schools more leeway in implementing them. It also calls for encouraging salad bars.

Frito-Lay reformulated Flamin' Hot Cheetos, a perennial favorite among school kids, to meet new federal "Smart Snack" rules for schools.

Guess What Makes The Cut As A 'Smart Snack' In Schools? Hot Cheetos

4:07pm April 08, 2015

by Monica Eng

Frito-Lay has reformulated Flamin' Hot Cheetos to meet new federal nutrition standards for school snacks. That's been a big hit with school kids, but the rules' creators say the snack is still junk.

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Samples of carrots cooked three ways are placed on a table for the kids at Walker-Jones Educational Campus, in Washington, D.C., to sample after they have finished lunch. The crowd favorite will later end up on the school lunch menu.

Of Carrots And Kids: Healthy School Lunches That Don't Get Tossed

10:50am December 05, 2014

by Dan Charles

You can lead children to vegetables, but can you make them eat? In one school lunch program, kids will tell you upfront what they think of your veggies — and what you should do with them.

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Students at Lowell High School in Michigan sit down for lunch. Shorter lunch breaks mean that many kids don't get enough time to eat and socialize.

These Days, School Lunch Hours Are More Like 15 Minutes

9:09am December 07, 2013

by Eric Westervelt

In a new poll, parents complain that their children are not getting nearly enough time for a basic school ritual: eating lunch. And that's worrying parents and administrators, given that about one-third of American kids are overweight or obese.

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