School Nutrition Association of Connecticut (SNACT) Applauds New USDA Nutrition Standards

The School Nutrition Association of Connecticut (SNACT) is reminding residents about new changes that will be made to school lunches beginning this school year as part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) January 2012 final rule that establishes standards for major improvements to nationwide child nutrition programs. This revision to The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is the first in over 15 years.

While school districts across Connecticut have been a tireless leader and advocate for offering quality, healthy school meals, beginning this fall they will now be required to meet additional federal nutrition standards. This will provide students with the ability to make even healthier choices. 

Currently school meals offer milk, fruits and vegetables, proteins and grains, and they must meet strict limits for saturated fat and portion size. Many school districts in Connecticut already voluntarily meet a majority of these new federal standards.

The new requirements are: 

• Age-appropriate calorie limits and portion sizes;
• Larger servings of vegetables and fruits (students must take at least one serving of produce)
• A wider variety of vegetables, including dark green and red/orange vegetables and legumes
• Fat-free or 1% milk (flavored milk must be fat-free)
• Reduced sodium content

“We are proud to be a leader in offering Connecticut students healthier choices,” said Susan Maffe, President of SNACT.  “While these standards will be seen in schools nationwide for the first time this fall, many Connecticut school districts have already begun these efforts. We continue to proactively work to offer additional opportunities for healthier and nutritious lunches and are committed to ensuring a higher quality of nutritional standards than ever before."