Congress created the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) after an investigation into the health of young men rejected in the World War II draft showed a connection between physical deficiencies and childhood malnutrition. In response, Congress enacted the 1946 National School Lunch Act as a “measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s children.”
In 1998, Congress expanded the NSLP to include cash reimbursement for snacks served in certain afterschool educational and enrichment programs.
The School Breakfast Program (SBP) was established by Congress - first as a pilot program in 1966 in areas where children had long bus rides to school and in areas where many mothers were in the workforce, then as a permanent entitlement program in 1975 to assist schools in providing nutritious morning meals to the nation’s children.
All schools that participate in these programs are required to offer free and reduced-price meals to low-income children, adhere to federal nutrition standards, and to implement wellness policies that promote healthy school environments.
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