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The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is the Nation's
second largest food and nutrition assistance program.
In 2008, it operated in over 96,000 public and nonprofit
private schools (grades K-12) and provided low-cost or
free lunches to over 30 million children daily.
Any student in a participating school can get an NSLP
lunch regardless of the student's household income. Eligible
students can receive free or reduced-price lunches:
- Free lunches are available to children in households
with incomes at or below 130 percent of poverty
- Reduced-price lunches are available to children in
households with incomes between 130 and 185 percent
of poverty.
In 2008, school cafeterias served more than 5 billion
lunches, more than half of them free or at a reduced price.
The NSLP also provided more than 205 million afterschool
snacks that year. The cost to USDA of providing lunches
and snacks was $9.3 billion.
USDA's
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the NSLP
and reimburses participating schools' foodservice departments
for the meals served to students. To receive reimbursement,
schools must serve lunches that meet minimum nutritional
guidelines of one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowance
(RDA) of protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C.
No more than 30 percent of the meal’s calories can come
from fat, and no more than 10 percent can come from saturated
fat.
ERS researchers have examined important
issues, background, and trends in the NSLP and found
that the program faces numerous challenges. Program administrators
strive to balance competing objectives:
- Meals must meet
nutritional standards and stay within budgetary constraints,
but at the same time, meals must be appealing so that
children will actually eat what is served.
- Calories must be adequate to meet nutritional needs, but
school meals should not add to the problem of rising childhood
obesity.
A recent ERS-sponsored study found that NSLP participants had lower intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages than did similar nonparticipants. NSLP participation did not affect the likelihood of being overweight.
To fulfill its role as part of the Federal nutrition
safety net, the program must make free and reduced-price
meals accessible to needy children while maintaining
program integrity. An ERS-sponsored
study found that directly certifying schoolchildren
for free meals based on the children's households' recent participation
in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program) or other public assistance program
raises participation in the NSLP, increases the number
of children certified for free meals, and lowers the number
deemed ineligible for benefits. The 2004 Child Nutrition
and WIC Reauthorization Act now requires that all school
districts participating in the NSLP directly certify students
in SNAP households for free school meals.
Recommended readings—Publications
related to National School Lunch Program topics.
 Meals served in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, fiscal 1969-2008
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