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National School Lunch Program

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) makes it possible for all school children in the United States to receive a nutritious lunch each and every school day.

History
Congress created the 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.

Benefits
The NSLP provides per meal cash reimbursements to schools as an entitlement to provide nutritious meals to children. This means that all eligible schools may participate and all children attending those schools may participate. Schools participating in the NSLP also receive agricultural commodities (unprocessed or partially processed foods), as a supplement to the per- meal cash reimbursements, in amounts based on the number of lunches they serve.

The National School Lunch Program provides school children with one-third or more of their Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for key nutrients. These lunches are required to provide no more than 30 percent of calories from fat and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. USDA research indicates that children who participate in School Lunch have superior nutritional intakes compared to those who do not participate.

Every school district that participates in the National School Lunch Program was required to enact a local school wellness policy, an opportunity to address obesity and promote healthy eating and physical activity through changes in school environments.

For schools and institutions that participate in the NSLP, Provision 2 is an option that enables them to provide free meals to all of their students while reducing paperwork and administrative costs. Under Provision 2, all students receive free meals, regardless of income, and schools collect applications for free and reduced-price meals once every four years, at most. Also, schools under Provision 2 do not have to track and record the different categories of meals served for at least three out of every four years. Provision 2 schools pay the difference between the cost of serving meals at no charge to all students and the federal reimbursement for the meals.

Participation
During the 2006-07 school year, 30.5 million children participated in the National School Lunch Program through more than 99,800 schools and residential child care institutions. On a typical school day, almost 18 million of these 30.5 million total participants were receiving free or reduced price lunches.

Eligibility
All public and non-profit private schools (regardless of tuition) and all Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs) can participate in the National School Lunch Program. School boards must apply to their state education agency in order to institute a program. All students in these schools may participate in the lunch program. However, household income determines whether they receive free meals, reduced price meals (the maximum price to the student's family is 40 cents), or "paid" meals, for which students pay most of the cost (the federal government pays a modest amount for administrative costs).

For children at participating schools there are two ways to qualify for free or reduced price meals in the NSLP.

1. Direct Certification/ Categorical Eligibility
   If a household currently receives Food Stamps, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), or participates in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) the children in that household are eligible for free school meals. This is called categorical eligibility. Homeless, runaway and migrant children are also automatically eligible for free school meals. Children that are categorically eligible do not need to complete paper applications.
   
2. Income-based Eligibility
   If a household's total income is below a certain amount, the children in that household can eat free or at a very reduced price. To receive free meals, household income must fall below 130 percent of poverty. For reduced-price meals, household income must be between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level. This is called income-based eligibility.

School districts are required to use "direct certification" to qualify children that receive Food Stamps/SNAP for free meals without requiring the family to submit an application. Schools work with the State or local Food Stamp agency to identify and certify for school meals (without additional applications) those children currently receiving these benefits.

Reimbursements and Funding
In FY 2006, federal spending totaled $7.4 billion for the National School Lunch Program. This federal support comes in the form of a cash reimbursement for each meal served. The 2008-09 school year basic federal reimbursement rates are:

FRAC RESOURCES

Food Research and Action Center Testimony, The Institute of Medicine, Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs; Phase I. Proposed Approach for Recommending Revisions (1/28/09) (pdf)

Executive Summary: Commodity Foods and the Nutritional Quality of the National School Lunch Program: Historical Role, Current Operations, and Future Potential (pdf)

Commodity Foods and the Nutritional Quality of the National School Lunch Program: Historical Role, Current Operations, and Future Potential (pdf)

New! Local School Wellness Policies

Advocate's Guide to School Nutrition Programs

Fact sheet on the National School Lunch Program

State of the States: A Profile of Food and Nutrition Programs Across the Nation (2006, 10th Edition) provides state by state information on school lunch

Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 reauthorized and amended the laws that govern the National School Lunch Program

Policy Brief on Competitive Foods in Schools

FRAC's School Meals Outreach Brochure (English; Spanish version) explains to parents that they may seek free or reduced price school meals for their children at any time during the school year.

Reaching homeless, runaway and migrant children with NSLP

More information on student eligibility for the NSLP

Resources to assist afterschool and summer programs in using the child nutrition programs

Income Guidelines and Reimbursement Rates for the Child Nutrition Programs

Information about Provision 2, an option for schools to reduce the paperwork and simplify the logistics of operating school meals programs

Current news and analyses on child nutrition programs

USDA RESOURCES

USDA's school lunch page offers programmatic information and other materials related to the NSLP

USDA's model school meals applications, in English and Spanish

Contact information for the State Agencies Administering the NSLP

USDA Guidance on School Meals eligibility gives technical assistance regarding application and eligibility issues

USDA's afterschool page explains the federal outside-school-time food programs

USDA School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study-III. Click here for USDA news release.

Information on planning nutritious and balanced meals for service under the NSLP

GAO Report on Competitive Foods in Schools

Updated January 2008

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