Governor Promotes School Lunch Program

NASHVILLE - Governor Phil Bredesen this week proclaimed October 10-14, 2005, as National School Lunch Week in Tennessee. School systems across the state provided fun and educational activities for Tennessee’s children in an effort of support for healthy, nutritious meals. This year’s theme was “School Lunch * It’s Instrumental.” “We’re fortunate to have the federally funded National School Lunch Program, which feeds more than 600,000 Tennessee children every school day,” said Sarah White, Director of the School Nutrition Program in the Tennessee Department of Education. “For some children, this lunch is their most nutritious, if not their only, meal of the day. It is instrumental in providing what children need to learn and grow.”The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which emphasize the importance of lowering fat, increasing fruit and vegetable intake, and increasing activity, will be administered throughout the lunch programs in the state. School lunches must meet federal nutrition requirements as recommended in the guidelines. A standard school lunch is required to meet one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories. Studies have shown that children participating in the school lunch program consume twice the servings of fruits and vegetables and greater amounts of grains and dairy than children who do not eat school lunch.Parents and community members helped celebrate National School Lunch Week at their local schools by volunteering in school cafeterias and visited their child’s school to eat lunch. For more information, contact the local school nutrition supervisor or Sarah White at the Tennessee Department of Education at (615) 532-4714.