Support Healthier School Food
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA)
In 2010, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) made significant improvements to school foods and other child nutrition programs, providing children with more nutritious food options and teaching children healthy habits that can last a lifetime. The HHFKA established national nutrition standards for all food sold in schools, strengthened local wellness policies, improved the nutritional quality of school meals, strengthened accountability of school meals, and improved meal financing to support healthy school meals.
- Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Fact Sheet (NANA)
- Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act 10 Year Anniversary Fact Sheet
School Meals
The updated standards, set in 2012, aligned school meals with the latest nutrition science, established by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the National Academy of Sciences. Thanks to the updated standards, schools now offer more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, low-fat or non-fat milk, sensible limits on calories, and less unhealthy fats and salt, and healthier snacks and beverages. With one out of every three children overweight or obese and nearly 30 million children participating in the National School Lunch Program, these improvements are a key strategy for supporting children’s health.
Final Rules
- 2012 Final Rule
- 2018 Final Rule
- A federal court struck down this rule in April 2020
- 2020 Final Rule
- This is the re-proposed 2018 final rule that addresses the procedural errors found by the federal court
Nearly all schools are meeting the updated nutrition standards for school lunch, but continued attacks by USDA threaten progress made and child health. There is still more work to do to ensure all kids have access to healthy, appealing food at school.
General Resources
- 10 Key Findings on the Impact of School Nutrition Programs (Healthy Eating Research)
- Model State School Foods Bill
- Optional Findings and Provisions State School Foods Bill
- Policy Options for Expanding Access to Free Meals
- Factsheet: Messaging Guidance for an Effective school Food Campaign
- Costs and Revenues of the New School Meal Standards (NANA/CSPI)
- Step Up to the Plate for School Meals: American Heart Association
- School Lunches Are Getting Healthier — The Facts (video) (Pew Charitable Trusts)
- How to Support Kids’ Nutrition in Your Child’s School (Pew Charitable Trusts)
- Healthy School Food Standards Make 5 Successes Possible (Pew Charitable Trusts)
- Healthy School Lunches Improve Kids’ Habits (Pew Charitable Trusts)
- Americans' Views on School Food and Child Nutrition (Pew Charitable Trusts)
- Parents Support Healthier School Food Standards (infographic) (Pew Charitable Trusts)
- Child Nutrition: Nourishing Minds and Bodies Curriculum (to access this module, user must create free account on Alliance for a Healthier Generation)
- Resources for Schools to Support Healthy Menu Development
Participation
Plate Waste
- School Food Waste (infographic) (USDA)
- What You Can Do To Help Prevent Wasted Food (USDA)
- Studies on Food Waste (Pew Charitable Trusts)
- Study: “New School Meal Regulations Increase Fruit Consumption and Do Not Increase Total Plate Waste” (Rudd Center)
- Study: “Impact of the New U.S. Department of Agriculture School Meal Standards on Food Selection, Consumption, and Waste” (Harvard School of Public Health)
Calories
- Calories in School Lunches (CSPI)
- Calories Before/After the New Standards (CSPI)
- What a Proper Lunch Looks Like (CSPI)
- 850 Calories is Enough (CSPI)
Sodium
- Infographic: Confused About Salt? (CSPI)
- Fact Sheet on Sodium (CSPI)
- Making Sense of the Science on Sodium (NANA/American Heart Association)
- Lowering Sodium in School Foods (American Heart Association)
- Lower Sodium Products for School Meals (NANA)
- Webinar: Clearing Up Confusion on Sodium (CSPI/CDC/American Heart Association)
- Halt the Salt: From Bland to Brilliant (to access this module, user must create free account on Alliance for a Healthier Generation)
Whole Grains
Added Sugar
USDA Foods (Commodities)
Policy Options
- Healthy School Meals, Snacks, and Beverages: State and Local Policy Options (CSPI)
- Create a State Plan to Support Healthy School Nutrition Environments (NANA)
Tips
- Tips for Parents (CSPI)
- Tips for Educators (CSPI)
- Tips for School Business Officers (CSPI)
- No or Low Cost Policies to Support a Healthy School Nutrition Environment (CSPI)
- Tips for Making Healthy Lunches for Less (CSPI)
- Tips on Getting Kids to Eat Healthier Meals (CSPI)
- Tips for School Food Service Professionals (CSPI)
- Tips for Successfully Transitioning to Healthier Menu Options (CSPI)
- Tips for Serving Whole Grains That Kids Love (or Don’t Even Notice are Whole Grains) (CSPI)
- Tips for Reducing Sodium Without Sacrificing Taste or Participation (CSPI)
- Tips for Reducing Added Sugar While Maintaining Great Taste (CSPI)
For more information, contact the Center for Science in the Public Interest at policy@cspinet.org