State of School Nutrition 2014

Posted by School Nutrition Association on September 15, 2014

School Nutrition Association Releases “State of School Nutrition 2014”

National survey finds cafeterias promote healthier choices, but still struggle with student lunch participation.

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD (August 27, 2014) – A new national survey of school meal program operators finds that schools are expanding creative menu options, nutrition education and other initiatives to promote healthy school meals, yet many districts still struggle with decreased student lunch participation at all grade levels, and other challenges related to new nutrition standards for school meals. The findings are part of School Nutrition Association (SNA)’s “School Nutrition Operations Report: The State of School Nutrition 2014,” based on survey responses from 1,102 school nutrition directors working in school districts nationwide.

The survey revealed that since SNA’s State of School Nutrition 2011 survey, school meal programs have increased healthy options for students and expanded menu choices to appeal to diverse student tastes:

• 63% of districts have salad or produce bars, while 69% offer pre-packaged salads.
• 52% serve locally sourced fruits and vegetables, up from 48% in 2011.
• Cafeterias are also offering more ethnic food options:
  • Mexican and Asian dishes continue to be most prevalent, served in 98% and 88% of districts respectively.
  • Middle Eastern options have experienced the greatest growth, now offered in 40% of districts, up from 28% in 2011.

School meal programs are utilizing a variety of methods to promote these healthier options to students. The survey found a majority of school districts currently engage in student taste testing of new menu items (64%) and nutrition education in the classroom (55%), and prevalence of other outreach initiatives has increased since the 2011 survey:

• 37.5% of respondents report that Farm to School initiatives are currently underway in their districts, up from 32% in 2011.
• 35% of districts currently have school gardens, up from 22% in 2011
• 24% of districts currently participate in the HealthierUS School Challenge, up from 21% in 2011.

Despite school menu enhancements and creative marketing efforts, schools meal programs nationwide are struggling with a decline in student lunch participation. US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data shows that under the new standards, lunch participation is down in 49 states, with more than one million fewer students choosing school lunch each day.

The State of School Nutrition 2014 shows that this decline in lunch participation has occurred at the elementary, middle and high school levels, with an overall decline in median Average Daily Participation from 68% in the 2011 survey to 64% in 2014.

This participation drop has occurred despite an increase in the average percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals in a district/program, from 47% in 2011 to 48% in 2014. The survey shows a drop in the percentage of meals served to students in the paid meal category in a district/program from an average of 42% in 2011 to 36% in 2014. This mirrors USDA data that indicates decreases in paid meal participation have outpaced overall participation declines.

Not surprisingly, “Program participation” was most commonly cited as one of three most pressing issues faced by districts, selected by 44% of respondents. “Implementation of new meal patterns,” “Cost of food” and “Implementation of competitive food regulations” were the next most commonly cited issues, each selected by over 40% of respondents.

“School meal programs are not only offering healthier fare, they are also finding creative ways to encourage students to try all the fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other nutritious choices in the cafeteria,” said SNA President Julia Bauscher, SNS. “Unfortunately, despite efforts to promote healthier meals, fewer students are choosing school lunch under the new nutrition standards, and that’s a huge concern for school nutrition professionals, already struggling to manage the high cost of meeting complex regulations. To ensure more students choose healthy school lunches and to keep school meal programs financially stable, USDA should provide schools with commonsense flexibility under the regulations.”

http://www.schoolnutrition.org/5–News-and-Publications/2–Press-Releases/Press-Releases/School-Nutrition-Association-Releases-%E2%80%9CState-of-School-Nutrition-2014%E2%80%9D/