Since the National School Lunch Act was signed into law the nutritional goal for school lunches has been to provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) as specified by the National Research Council for students of various ages.  Since the 1990s the USDA School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children has underscored our national responsibility to provide healthy school meals that are consistent with the RDAs.  The objectives are:

• Meet 1/3 of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA)

• Meet Calorie Goals (age appropriate)                                

• Meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans                         

The Traditional Food Based Menu Planning System provides a simple framework for planning nutritious and well-balanced lunches.  It is designed to provide approximately one-third of the RDAs for various ages/groups of students.  It is not expected that each lunch will provide one-third of the RDAs for all nutrients, but that when averaged over a period of time in which a wide variety of foods are served, the goal will be met.  The Nutrient Standards for lunch are set as a minimum by grades as shown in the chart below.