The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in more than 99,800 public and non-profit private schools across the nation. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to more than 2.3 million Texas school children each school day. In 1998, Congress expanded the National School Lunch Program to include reimbursement for snacks served to children in after school educational and enrichment programs to include children through 18 years of age.
Nutritional Requirements
School lunches must meet the applicable recommendations of the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30 percent of calories come from fat and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. Regulations also establish a standard for school lunches to provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories. School lunches must meet federal nutrition requirements, but decisions about the specific foods to serve and their preparation are made locally.
Meal Prices
A student cannot be charged more than 40 cents for a reduced-price lunch. After school snacks are provided to children on the same income eligibility basis as school meals. However, programs that operate in areas where at least 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals serve all snacks free.
