USDA strives for tastier, healthier school lunches nationwide, including Nevada

LAS VEGAS (KLAS)– Each day, around 200,000 students in Nevada enjoy meals at school and as the new school year begins, cafeterias nationwide will be introducing some new changes.

The United States Department of Agriculture is focused on enhancing the taste and nutrition of school meals. School meals will continue to highlight fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, but there will be some updates.

The focus will now be on incorporating products with reduced added sugars, especially breakfast items.

“One of the things we are focusing on is reducing the amount of sugar in school breakfast and that’s really because we’ve heard from parents and teachers for years that that’s something we need to do,” Cindy Long with the USDA said. “Breakfast is such an important meal, and we don’t want kids experiencing a sugar crash in the middle of the morning during a math test.”

The updates to school nutrition standards were largely based on public feedback and the latest science-based recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

These added changes are aimed at lowering children’s risk for tooth decay, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and a variety of other health conditions.

“We really want to put kids on a path to a healthy lifestyle and when kids are on average, eating up to two or even three meals with an afternoon snack any given day, it can really have an impact on their overall diet.” Long added.

This academic year, schools will conduct taste tests to see how students like different products. Additionally, some schools will hold recipe contests to give kids an active role in the process.

The USDA is also looking at serving a wider variety of food items to consider cultural preferences and include plant-based options. They are also exploring options for schools to shop locally to offer students the best quality produce and support local businesses.

New requirements will take place next year. There will be a gradual process over the next few years to reduce the amount of sugar and sodium in school meals.

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