Over the next school year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, working with partners in schools and the private sector,will double the number of schools that meet the Healthier US Schools Challenge and add 1,000 schools per year for two years after that.

Schools can participate in this model program by going to http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/healthierus/index.html and learning about the range of educational and technical assistance materials that promote key aspects of the Dietary Guidelines, including a Menu Planner for Healthy School Meals, which provides tips on serving more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and lower amounts of sugar, sodium, and saturated and trans-fats in school menus.

To help meet the goal of increasing the number of schools that meet the Challenge, major school food suppliers have agreed to meet the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations within five years to decrease the amount of sugar, fat and salt in school meals; increase whole grains; and double the amount of produce they serve within 10 years Food service workers in more than 75% of America’s schools—along with principals, superintendents, and school board members across America—have committed to work together to help reach these goals and assist thousands of schools meet the US Healthier Schools Challenge.

With these commitments, every school child in America will receive more nutritious meals in school and have better information on the importance of healthy eating, putting them on track to a healthier life.

The rise in the rates of children who are overweight or obese are a result of poor diets, a lack of physical activity, and insufficient nutrition education. A healthy school environment can help correct these problems, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Child Nutrition Programs are uniquely positioned to help. More than 31 million school children participate every day in the National School Lunch Program, plus more than 11 million participate daily in the National School Breakfast Program. Many children eat half of their daily calories at schools.

Last year, the Institute of Medicine released a study about the nutritional changes that should be made to improve our school meals http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12751 and the Administration is already moving to implement them. Recently, the Administration unveiled its plans to enhance the nutrition and wellness of tens of millions of school children through the updating of the Child Nutrition Act and announced a proposed increase in the federal budget of $1 billion per year for the next ten years to improve the quality of school meals, increase the number of kids participating, and make sure schools have the resources they need to make changes. With these changes, an additional one million students will be added to the School Lunch Program over the next five years, and all school children will have access to healthier snacks and meals.