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National School Lunch Program Analysis

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The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is the second largest federally assisted food program in the United States and operates in over 100,000 public and nonprofit schools and residential childcare institutions (USDA, 2014). Schools that participate in the NSLP must serve lunches that meet the nutrition standards defined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and are required to serve free or reduced priced lunches to eligible students. In return, participating schools receive cash subsidies and commodities from the USDA for each meal they serve. Over 5 billion lunches were served in 2012 by schools adhering to the NSLP (USDA, 2014). The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) regulates the NSLP at the federal level and educational …show more content…

The USDA supplies food assistance to one in four Americans annually via food distribution programs, child nutrition programs, a supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP), a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), and a Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) (USDA, 2014). The nutrition assistance programs target food security and diet quality among children and low-income individuals across the United States.
USDA Goals and Performance Measures

In 2010, the FNS developed a strategic plan outlining the department’s goals and objectives, strategies for achieving them, and measures of success for 2010-2015. The FNS developed four strategic goals; Strategic Goal 4 was to “ensure that all of America’s children have access to safe, nutritious and balanced meals.” The USDA developed the following objectives and performance measures to reach this goal:
•Objective 4.1: Increase access to nutritious food

Performance Measure Baseline 2015 …show more content…

coli O157:H7 illnesses from products regulated by USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service 562,697 505,024
Average percentage of all establishments with a functional food defense plan 62.0% 90.0%

•Objective 4.4: Protect agricultural health by minimizing major diseases and pests to ensure access to safe, plentiful, and nutritious food

Performance Measure Baseline 2015

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