The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program are central parts of a national policy designed to safeguard the nutritional well-being of the Nation’s children. Despite the progress that has been achieved over the years in enhancing the quality of school meals, results of research conducted in the early 1990s indicated that school meals, on balance, were not meeting certain key nutritional goals.
This interim rule addresses the use of products or dishes containing more than 30 parts fully hydrated vegetable protein products to less than 70 parts beef, pork, poultry or seafood in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.
This final rule also adds a method that allows schools to use “any reasonable approach” to plan menus.
This final rule updates the requirements for using ‘‘Vegetable Protein Products’’ in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program (the Child Nutrition programs).
This proposed rule would amend the regulations governing the procedures for determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.