The United Fresh Produce Association has applauded the release of new nutrition standards for school meals, designed to double the amount of fruits and vegetables servedto 32m students through the National School Lunch Programme, the first such improvement in more than 15 years.
The new nutrition standards align the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programmes with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, which emphasised increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.
First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack celebrated the new school nutrition standards on 25 January at Parklawn Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia.
'We are very excited that fruits and vegetables will be the stars of healthier school meals,' said Dr Lorelei DiSogra, vice-president of nutrition and health at united Fresh. 'Children like fresh fruits and vegetables and they will be eating more next school year when this regulation takes effect.
'Increasing children's consumption of fruits and vegetables will improve their health and reduce their risk of childhood obesity,' DiSogra added. 'We support this landmark effort by First Lady Michelle Obama and USDA to create healthier school meals and healthier school food environments for millions of America’s children.'
Tom Stenzel noted that United Fresh members had partnered with schools across the country to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in school meals.
'This is a great step towards providing our children with a foundation for healthy eating for the rest of their lives, and the fresh produce industry is proud to be involved,' he said.
