A hungry child cannot learn to the best of his or her ability. Hunger impairs concentration and cognitive ability, thus interfering with the learning process. Hunger also leads to physical symptoms, such as headaches, upset stomach and shakiness.

The primary goal of the Food & Nutrition Services Department is to ensure no child goes hungry. Achievement of this goal allows us to support the district goal of educating all students to become lifelong learners… one meal at a time.

• To make available to all students two nutritious meals daily at an affordable cost
• To encourage the development of healthy eating habits for our students
• To assist in the social and cultural development of our students

National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

Missouri’s own President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act on June 4, 1946. Though school food service began long before 1946, the Act authorized the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The legislation came in response to claims that many American men had been rejected for World War II military service because of diet-related health problems. The federally assisted meal program was established as “a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities.”

The National School Lunch Act has since been amended numerous times. Public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions may participate in the NSLP. This program also offers after school snacks in sites that meet eligibility requirements. The NSLP is celebrated each year during National School Lunch Week in October.

School Breakfast Program (SBP)

On October 11, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. The Act established the School Breakfast Program (SBP). The SBP is a federally assisted meal program that provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free breakfasts to children in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. President Johnson remarked during the signing of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, “good nutrition is essential to good learning.” Appropriately, this Act was signed during National School Lunch Week. The SBP is celebrated annually during National School Breakfast Week in March.

Data

In 2007, school food service programs nationwide served nearly 5 billion lunches and over 1.7 billion breakfasts to participating students.

In Hickman Mills C-1 Schools last year we served over 1.3 million meals (breakfast and lunch) to students in our district.

In order to meet the calorie and nutrient requirements for school aged children, the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program utilizes nutrient standards for menu planning. Menus must be analyzed on a weekly basis to ensure these guidelines are being met.

Calorie requirements are specific to age. Menus should be low in fat (30% or less calories should come from fat), low in saturated fat (10% or less calories from saturated fat), and low in cholesterol and sodium. Meal plans should also be high in fiber and meet the specific RDAs (recommended dietary allowances) for iron, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C. These nutrition guidelines are set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which are based on sound scientific research, and are necessary to promote the optimal growth and development of our nation’s children.

A registered dietitian, employed by the school district, works with other nutrition services professionals to develop menus that meet the above mentioned nutrient standards. The dietitian also performs a nutrient analysis on a weekly basis for each of our feeding sites. It is important to note that the entire week is analyzed, as opposed to each specific day. How one eats over the course of several days is more significant than focusing on an individual meal. We can balance our food intake over several days, eating lighter or heavier meals as desired or necessary.

The nutrient analysis is based on what is called a “reimbursable meal.” A reimbursable meal consists of at least an entrée and one other item, which may be a milk or side dish. Students may select up to two side dishes in addition to a milk and entrée at lunch. At breakfast, students may choose an entrée, milk and juice. The nutrient analysis is then performed, with the aid of a computer software application, based on which meal components most students take on an average basis. A slice of pizza, tossed salad, fresh fruit and a milk is a nutritious reimbursable meal. If a student chooses to eat only the pizza then he will not be getting the proper balance of nutrients necessary for optimal growth and development.