The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee conducted Food Pattern Modeling analyses across 12 protocols with support from staff from USDA’s Nutrition and Economic Analysis Branch within the Food and Nutrition Administration, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.
This report responds to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which directs the FNA to provide a report on the amount of added sugars in school meals.
This study is the first nationally representative, comprehensive assessment of the school meal programs since the updated nutrition standards for school meals were phased in beginning school year 2012-2013. A study methodology report that describes the study design, sampling and data collection and a summary report that provides a brief overview of the study and key findings from the various reports are also available.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is jointly issued and updated every 5 years by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. The Dietary Guidelines is used to inform the development of Federal food, nutrition, and health policies and programs and provides advice on healthy eating for the public.
This report summarizes findings from the fourth School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study, which collected data from nationally representative samples of school districts and schools in school year 2009-10.
FNA sponsored the third SNDA study to provide up-to-date information on the school meal programs, the school environment that affects the programs, the nutrient content of school meals, and the contributions of school meals to students’ diets. Data were collected from a nationally representative sample of districts, schools, and students in school year 2004-2005. The nutrient content of school meals offered and served was compared to USDA’s current regulatory standards.