What's on the Menu?

STANDARDS

Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.3, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.5, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.3, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.6, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4

NCSS: Culture • Time, Continuity, and Change • People, Places, and Environments • Individuals, Groups, and Institutions • Science, Technology, and Society

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Health

Check out three big changes coming to school cafeterias.

October 2024

The food in your cafeteria may be getting a mini makeover starting this year. The U.S. Department of (USDA) recently announced new rules for school lunches and breakfasts. The changes limit added sugars and expand the types of food that can be served. The rules started to take effect this past summer, although schools will have until the 2027-28 school year to fully implement them. Take a closer look at what the new rules mean for you.

—Lisa M. Herrington

1. More Vegetarian Options

Beans for breakfast? Yep! Cafeterias can now offer a wider variety of protein choices early in the day. That includes providing alternatives to meat, such as beans, lentils, and tofu.

2. Hold the Sugar—and the Salt!

Shutterstock.com

Chocolate milk isn’t going away. But the updated standards lower the amount of added sugars allowed in flavored milk and other products, such as cereal and yogurt. Schools also will have to cut down on sodium—a mineral in salt.

3. Honoring Traditions

Shutterstock.com

Breadfruit is a staple in Hawaii. A staple is a food or other product that is popular and is a basic, important part of people’s lives.

Schools serving mostly American Indian and Native Alaskan students can incorporate traditional foods. They can dish up vegetables such as sweet potatoes, breadfruit, and prairie turnips in place of bread, pasta, and other grains. The rule also applies to schools in Hawaii and Guam, a U.S. island in the Pacific Ocean.

28.6 MILLION

Number of students who eat school lunch daily

^{SOURCE: Schoolnutrition.org}

Early 1900s to the 1930s

Early 1900s: Some schools started selling lunches—often for as little as a penny. By 1912, more than 40 U.S. cities offered lunch programs, many funded by churches and private clubs.

1930s (pictured): During the Great Depression, many people couldn’t pay for food, so farmers couldn’t sell their produce. To help kids and farmers, the government bought crops and gave them to schools. Cafeterias served what they received—sometimes just onions.

The Granger Collection, New York/The Granger Collection

1940s to the 1960s

1940s (pictured): War efforts diverted resources away from school lunch programs during World War II (1939-1945). After the war, President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act in 1946, securing and expanding federal funding for school lunch programs nationwide.

1960s: The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 was the first federal program to formally set aside funds for free lunches for poor children. It also created the School Breakfast Program and made uniform nutrition rules for schools.

National Archives

1980s to Today

1980s: Determined to reduce government spending, President Ronald Reagan slashed funding for school lunches. Districts turned to cheaper processed foods, like chicken nuggets. To cut costs further, the government classified ketchup as a vegetable.

1990s: Many schools struck deals with fast-food companies, including McDonald’s, to sell their products in cafeterias. The chains adapted their usual fare to meet nutrition standards.

Today: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is limiting added sugars in school foods such as yogurt and cereal. Schools have until summer 2027 to make the changes.

Andrey Armyagov/Shutterstock.com

U.S. News

Science, Health, and Technology

Teaching Resources

Text-to-Speech