Brighton Area Schools Add Vegetables and Limit Sodium in School Lunches

Schools nationwide will be serving healthier lunches this year.

Brighton Schools are no exception. Like other districts across the country, they will implement new guidelines set by the United States Department of Agriculture this year that aim to improve the quality of school lunches by increasing their nutritional value.

“We’re always working to offer Brighton Area Schools’ students healthier and tastier choices,” said Richard Browder, Brighton Director of Student Nutrition. “In addition to meeting new nutrition standards, we’re also working with teachers and principals to improve nutrition education in the classroom.”

School lunches are now separated into five components: meats/meat alternates, grains, fruits, vegetables and milk. A student must take three of the five components for it to be considered a meal, and one of those components must be at least one serving of a fruit or vegetable.

The new rules will also reduce sodium and saturated fat levels in school meals.

Additionally, the USDA has regulated the minimum and maximum amounts of certain meal components that schools can give to each student:

Kindergarten-Grade 5:

• Fruits: ½ cup minimum per day
• Vegetables: ¾ cup minimum per day
• Grains: 8-9 ounces per week
• Meats/meat alternates: 8-10 ounces per week
• Calories: 550-650 calories per lunch
• Trans fat: 0 trans fat

Grades 6-8:

• Fruits: ½ cup minimum per day
• Vegetables: ¾ cup minimum per day
• Grains: 8-10 ounces per week
• Meats/meat alternates: 9-10 ounces per week
• Calories: 600-700 calories per lunch
• Trans fat: 0 trans fat

Grades 9-12:

• Fruits: 1 cup minimum per day
• Vegetables: 1 cup minimum per day
• Grains: 10-12 ounces per week
• Meats/meat alternates: 10-12 ounces per week
• Calories: 750-850 calories per lunch
• Trans fat: 0 trans fat

All Brighton Area School menus are available online.

School meals can be prepaid at any school, online through PayPal, or by calling the student nutrition office with a credit card payment.

To find out more about Brighton Area Schools’ healthy school meals please visit
www.brightonk12.com or call 810-299‐4175.