Space that is adequate to accommodate all students and pleasant surroundings that reflect the value of the social aspects of eating will be provided. Students, teachers and community volunteers who practice healthy eating will be encouraged to serve as role models in the school dining areas. If foods are sold in addition to National School Lunch Program meals, they will be from the five major food groups of the Food Guide Pyramid. This practice will foster healthy eating patterns. Decisions about the sale of foods in addition to the National School Lunch Program meals will be based on nutrition goals, not on profit making.
Recent research indicates that students across the country are flunking healthy eating.
Only 16 percent of school children meet the guideline for saturated fat on any given day. Teenagers today drink twice as much carbonated soda as milk, and only 19 percent of girls ages 9-19 meet the recommended intakes for calcium. The partnership is one of the steps USDA is undertaking to promote nutrition and good health and follows the release of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans at the National Nutrition Summit. The event is free and includes lunch for all participants. Selected farms and scientists get their day to shine each summer and demonstrate how their work can be applied to Utah farms and ranches.