During a busy lunch period, time is students’ most valuable commodity and they will often grab a snack or skip lunch altogether rather than wait in a long line for a full meal, even when they are hungry! Worse, over …
The Special Milk Program: An Introduction
Background
The Special Milk Program (SMP) was established in 1955 to increase the milk consumption by children in schools and childcare institutions that do not participate in other Federal meal service programs. In 1966, the Special Milk Program was incorporated …
The School Day Just Got Healthier! A USDA Initiative
According to Bill Ayres, Co-Founder and Executive Director of WhyHunger, “Many children eat half their calories at school lunch and breakfast — improving school meals is the best opportunity we have to reverse the steady march towards obesity and …
An Introduction to the Child and Adult Care Food Program
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal assistance program provided by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. The program provides states with grants for daily-subsidized food service to low-income participants. The program was created in 1986 …
Eat Smart New York- A State Wide School Food Initiative
Eat Smart New York (ESNY) is an educational program that promotes daily consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nonfat or low-fat milk or milk products. ESNY also encourages people to be physically active every day and balance calories …
Learn About Choose My Plate
In 2011, First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack introduced MyPlate. MyPlate has become the federal government’s primary food group symbol, to remind consumers to make healthy food choices consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
MyPlate …
The BreakfastFirst Campaign in California
Background
The BreakfastFirst Campaign is a three year initiative to help California’s students reach their full potential and California’s schools maximize available federal resources by strengthening school breakfast programs. The campaign identified three goals for completion within the first …
The Power of Preordering to Improve Food Choice
A school cafeteria can feature delicious smells, eye-catching snacks, and distracting friends—all of which can lead a hungry student to select less healthy choices when buying lunch. However, preordering meals ahead of time (such as at the start of the …
Favorite Familiar Faces: How to Use Branding and Priming to Promote Healthy Foods
Kids often imitate their role models—many of whom are pop culture icons such as cartoon characters, superheroes, or puppets from TV. Companies capitalize on this love of recognizable characters to draw kids to their products, including unhealthy junk foods. Researchers …