The mission of the School Nutrition Program is to provide leadership, training and technical assistance, and resources so that local program personnel may deliver quality meals and education that contribute to the nutritional well-being of Georgians and their performance at work and school.

School Breakfast Program

Ensuring that students eat a nutritious breakfast is an important parental role. While 85% of school districts offer breakfast in all of their public schools, only 31% of students eat breakfast at school. The school’s breakfast program is an excellent resource to the busy parent. We encourage students to eat a nutritious breakfast at home or school.

The breakfast meal meets the required 25% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). If this meal is missed, the student starts the day off without key nutrients for growth and development needed for academic performance.

• 2007 School Breakfast Scorecard (FRAC)
• Breakfast for Learning

School Lunch Meals

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) objective for its National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs (NLSP and SBP) is to ensure students have access to healthy, well balanced meals. This means all Georgia schools are required to meet specific nutrition standards for school breakfasts and lunches. These standards are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the National Academy of Sciences Recommended Dietary Allowances.

Students who eat school lunch consume more nutrients than students who eat other foods for lunch and students who regularly consume school lunch are more likely to have adequate intakes of key nutrients than students who do not participate (Food and Nutrition Service, 2007)

Other foods available at schools, often called competitive foods, are not required to meet any nutrition standards. According to a study by USDA, the most common sources of competitive foods in schools were a la carte food sales in the cafeteria, foods sold as fundraisers, and foods and snacks sold in school-operated vending machines (Food and Nutrition Service, 2007). Individual school districts or schools may require competitive foods meet specific nutrition standards or may restrict these sales, but few actually have any requirements or restrictions.

Individual school districts or schools may choose to address the availability and nutrition quality of competitive foods in their Local Wellness Policies. Each local education agency that participates in NLSP had to adopt a local school wellness policy with community input by school year 2006. Federal law required the adoption of local wellness policies to address obesity and promote healthy eating and physical activity through healthy school environments.

• School Breakfast Program
• National School Lunch Program
• School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study III
• Local Wellness Policies