{"id":7583,"date":"2012-09-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/togethercounts.com\/lunchroom-changes-bring-fresh-start-to-school-year\/"},"modified":"2012-09-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-09-06T00:00:00","slug":"lunchroom-changes-bring-fresh-start-to-school-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/togethercounts.com\/es\/lunchroom-changes-bring-fresh-start-to-school-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Lunchroom Changes Bring Fresh Start to School Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where has summer gone? Back-to-school ads are airing, school supplies are stocked on store shelves and we\u2019re back to the regular routine of school buses, homework, after-school activities and packing school lunches.<\/p>\n

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There are few parents who grew up in the United States and don\u2019t have a memory of eating school lunches- good or bad. They are a uniquely American cultural experience. So whether your kid is a brown-bagger or a lunch buyer, you may be interested to know that the 2012-2013 school year will see changes in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. The passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act<\/a> in 2010 gave the US Department of Agriculture, which runs school meal programs, additional funds to deliver more nutrition to children through school meals.<\/p>\n

The school cafeteria is an extension of the classroom and a place for students to put what they learn about healthy, active lifestyles into practice. Schools are a unique environment where students begin to make food and beverage choices on their own and set food preferences that last into adulthood. That is why they are a prime place to teach kids how to care for their bodies.<\/p>\n

Updates to schools\u2019 menus are based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and reinforce existing health initiatives.<\/p>\n

Other changes to notice on the school lunch menu include:<\/strong><\/p>\n