Promoting Good Nutrition for Children with USDA

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Promoting Good Nutrition for Children with USDAs
Child Nutrition Programs

• Yibo Wood, Nutritionist
• Child Nutrition Division
• Food and Nutrition Service

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Importance of Healthy Eating

• Optimal mental and physical health
• Habits for a lifetime
• Poor eating habits may lead to obesity and
  diet-related diseases in children
• Overweight children often have negative
  self-images, low self-esteem

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Food and Nutrition Service

• National School Lunch Program
• School Breakfast Program
• Summer Food Service Program
• Afterschool Snack Program

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Schools Meals Initiative

• 1995 Congress amended National
• School Lunch Act to require school meals
• to meet childrens nutrition requirements,
• including the Dietary Guidelines for
• Americans.

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SMI Nutrition Standards (for children aged 2 and
older)

• Lunches must provide 1/3 of the RDA for protein,
  calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C and
  provide 1/3 of the calories needed for a growing
  child.
• Breakfasts must provide ¼ of the RDA for the same
  nutrients and ¼ of the calories needed for a
  growing child.
• School meals must meet the recommendations of the
  Dietary Guidelines, including limits of calories
  from fat (30) and saturated fat (less than 10),
  reduction of cholesterol, moderate use of sugar
  and sodium and increased consumption of fiber1.
• Compliance is determined by averaging the
  nutrients for a school week.
• 1 1995 Version

  
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Team Nutrition

• Provide training and technical assistance to
  child nutrition foodservice professionals
• Promote nutrition education in schools
• Build school and community support for creating
  school environments that are conducive to healthy
  eating and physical activity.

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Team Nutrition Training Grants

• 4 million in competitive grants to States
  delivering Team Nutrition messages and materials
• Assist States in improving childrens eating and
  physical activity habits
• State mini-grants to schools
• States partnering with CDC-funded Coordinated
  School Health Program

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Promote Healthy Eating Environment in Schools

• Publication of Fruit and Vegetable Galore
  Helping Kids Eat More
• Salad options
• Menu planning
• Storage and handling
• Food safety
• Marketing

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Changing the Scene

• National Dairy Council
• Action for Healthy Kids
• National Association of School Nurses

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Making It Happen

• Follow-up to Changing the Scene
• Joint project of USDAs Team Nutrition and CDCs
  DASH.

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Team Nutrition Website

• www.fns.usda.gov/tn

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Power PantherNutrition and Physical Activity
Communication Specialist
Hello. Im Power Panther. I love my job because I
get to travel across the country to talk with
kids about eating smart and playing hard!
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EAT SMART. PLAY HARD.TM

• Materials now available
• in Spanish
• To order, visit
• www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard

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Promoting a Healthy School Environment USDAs
HealthierUS School Challenge

• This project will recognize nutrition excellence
  in schools and the schools commitment to the
  health and well being of its students.
• Schools can be leaders in making changes in their
  total school nutrition environment
• Improving nutritional quality of the meals
  served
• Providing students with more nutritious, healthy
  food and beverage choices and
• Providing opportunities for nutrition education
  physical activity

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How Will the Healthier US School Challenge Work?

• Elementary schools may apply for Silver or Gold
  certification on a voluntary basis.
• Certification is for a two-year period.

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A school must meet a basic set of criteria for
Silver certification

• Be an elementary school this first year.
• Become enrolled as a Team Nutrition school.
• Offer reimbursable lunches that demonstrate
  healthy menu planning practices (menu criteria)
  and meet the USDA nutrition standards.
• Provide nutrition education to students.

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For Silver Certification (contd)

• Provide students the opportunity for physical
  activity.
• Maintain a student Average Daily Participation of
  70 or higher of school enrollment for
  reimbursable lunches.
• Adhere to USDA nutrition standards for foods and
  beverages served/sold in competition with school
  meals during meal periods in the foodservice
  area.

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For Gold Certification

• Meet all the criteria for Silver (1-6)
• Plus
• Adhere to USDA nutrition standards for foods and
  beverages served/sold in competition with school
  meals throughout the school day and throughout
  the school campus, and
• Offer reimbursable school lunches that also
  contain a fresh fruit or raw vegetable and whole
  grain food each day.

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HealthierUS School Challenge

• The Self -Assessment Tool /Application,
  Criteria Instructions and Resources will be
  available at

www.fns.usda.gov/tn/HealthierUS/index.htm
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Local School Wellness PoliciesSection 204

• Requires every local education agency
  participating in the Federal school meals
  programs have a school wellness policy in place
  by first day of the 2006-2007 school year

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School Wellness Policy Why?

• May have some influence in curbing the epidemic
  of childhood overweight
• Reaches beyond USDA-funded meal programs to
  influence childhood health
• Provides an opportunity for school districts to
  create an environment conducive to healthy
  lifestyle choices

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School Wellness Policy Provisions

• Must contain the following elements
• Appropriate goals for nutrition education,
  physical activity and other school based
  activities designed to promote student wellness
• Nutrition guidelines for all foods available
  during the school day, with the objectives of
  promoting student health and reducing childhood
  overweight

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School Wellness Policy Provisions

• Assurance that guidelines for reimbursable school
  meals shall not be less restrictive than
  regulation and guidance issued by the Secretary
  of Agriculture
• A plan for measuring implementation of the school
  wellness policy, including designation of at
  least one person to maintain responsibility for
  program operation

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School Wellness Policy Provisions

• Parties involved in development of school
  wellness policies
• Parents
• Students
• Representatives of the SFA
• School board
• School administrators
• Members of the public

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School Wellness Policy Provisions

• To support implementation of these policies, USDA
  required to provide technical assistance and best
  practices for State Agencies and schools
• Partners collaborating with USDA efforts
• USDA
• DHHS
• CDC
• US Department of Education

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• Students, their parents and teachers, school
  officials, community and business leaders, local,
  State and Federal program administrators must all
  be actively involved in ensuring that school
  environment promote healthy lifestyle.

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Thank you!