Many children across the U.S rely on school meals for nutrition. In 2022, the USDA’s National School Lunch Program served 4.9 billion children. School meals should keep kids healthy and help them reach their full potential by providing the nutrition they need.
School meals contain many foods, like fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy, and grains. School nutrition programs may buy these foods fresh, with minimal preparation, or in a processed form. The Center for Food Safety in Child Nutrition Programs surveyed school nutrition program operators to understand which forms of foods are used in school meals.
More than half of menu items or recipes used processed proteins, beans and legumes, grains, and sauces and dressing. Fifty-seven percent of menu items or recipes used fresh fruits and vegetables.
Food Safety Tips for these Common Foods
Fresh fruits and vegetables were responsible for nearly 46 percent of foodborne illnesses in the US from 1998 to 2008. Check out FNS’s produce safety web page to learn more about selecting and serving produce safely.
Meat and poultry is often commercially processed into easy to prepare items. Check out FSIS’s resources on safe preparation and service of meat and poultry!
In the Special Milk Program, over 35 million half pints were served in fiscal year 2019. Clemson Cooperative Extension offers information about safe handling of milk and dairy products.
Processed grains, or grains that have been commercially processed through milling and bleaching, were used in 61 percent of meals. There are many differences among cereals and grains. It’s important to know how long you can store whole grains and whole grain flours, and how to handle them for safety.
Canned beans and legumes do not have added flavoring and additional ingredients. These were used in a third of meals. Canned beans and legumes with added flavoring and additional ingredients were used in over half of meals. Learn more about storing and cooking dry beans.
Commercially processed and packaged sauces and salad dressings are ready to heat and/or serve. They were used in over two thirds of meals. Proper storage and adherence to shelf life is crucial to keep these foods safe.