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Many children receive up to half of their daily caloric intake from school meals. The National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program provide low-cost and free meals to tens of millions of children every day. For schools to receive federal reimbursement, these meals must meet nutritional standards and meal requirements established in 1995 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to recommend revisions of these standards and requirements to reflect the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/).
The IOM committee recommends the adoption of nutrient “targets” instead of nutrient-based “standards” for menu planning. This approach results in food…