The standards were fairly straight forward and the jargon very clear. Meal requirements were determined and standards for meal planning. I just thought I'd field that for now. We were right where we needed to be. The American people had already spent the money and come up with solutions. I believe the year was 1995. There was no fast food included in the standards.
The idea behind developing meal requirements and planning was a simple concept called "nutrient targets." (click here).
If a school meal planner knows the nutrient targets for growth and development, the rest is easy.
I can't help that Republicans hate everything Democrats do, but, school lunch programs? Nutritional requirements for children. Healthy foods for obesity in our children? Give me a break, there is such a thing called morality leading to health and longevity. Are we going to do this to our children every time the wind changes direction?
Meal Requirements encompasses standards for school meals that are used for two purposes: (1) to develop menus that are consistent with Dietary Guidelines and the Nutrient Targets and (2) to specify what qualifies as a meal that is eligible for federal financial reimbursement. Meal Requirements comprise standards for meals as offered by the school and standards for meals as selected1 by students. As offered meal standards are applied in the development of menus for school breakfast and lunch and thus may be called standards for menu planning. As selected meal standards are used by the cashier to determine whether the student has selected a meal that meets requirements for reimbursement. The process used by the committee to develop the Meal Requirements was iterative in nature, and it also contributed to the committee’s final recommendations for the Nutrient Targets. This chapter describes the processes used to develop recommendations for the Meal Requirements. Different processes were used to develop the standards for menu planning and for meals as selected. The final recommendations appear in Chapter 7.
