Recent changes made to the National Breakfast and Lunch Program Research Paper

Recent changes made to the National Breakfast and Lunch Program - Research Paper Example It is in the process of seeking to ensure that the meals received by children at schools meet the required health standards that the USDA has issued new dietary guidelines, which the school meals should meet. While the new requirements might seem to be too demanding or disruptive of the current school breakfast and lunch program, it is conclusive to say that the new requirements are highly beneficial not only to the school children, but also to the society at large. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) new requirement standards for the school breakfast and lunch programs provides that children should be served with more fruits, vegetables and whole-grain containing foods, while at the same time being offered low-fat or fat-free dairy products (USDA, 2012). Secondly the new requirements provide that processed meat and processed dairy products should wholesomely be eliminated from the school breakfast and lunch programs, to avoid the adverse health effects that are associated with these type of foods on children’s health (FRAC, 2014). Offering daily plant-based snacks/salads as an option for all children eligible for the NSLP, which constitute of fresh garden salad-bars, as way of ensuring the provision of fiber-based whole meal diet for children (FRAC, 2014). The other recommendation of the new NSLP requirements is that the schools should ensure to offer low-fat, fat-free or nondairy milk on a daily basis as an option for all children eligible for the NSLP, where soy milk; a plant-based nondairy milk, has been recommended as the new milk beverage that schools should offer to the children, owing to the potential health benefits that are associated with this nondairy milk (FRAC, 2014). The other requirement by the USDA revised school food programs provide that the schools should increase their annual food and nutrition classes to a minimum of 50 hours per academic year (USDA, 2012). This recommendation has been established on