Meals offered by U.S. National School Lunch program healthier than homemade lunches, U.S. study shows; school lunches more likely to contain fruits, vegetables and dairy

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , October 6, 2011 (Industry Intelligence) – A U.S. study showed that meals offered by the National School Lunch Program are healthier than homemade lunches, MedPage Today reported Oct. 5.

The study of second graders was conducted by the Children’s Nutrition Research Center in Houston. It found that, on average, school lunches were more likely to contain fruits, vegetables, and dairy. Homemade lunches, meanwhile, were more likely to contain snacks high in sugar, fat and non-100% fruit juice.

Compared with school lunches, those packed at home were significantly less likely to include the following foods: fruits (45.3% versus 75.9%); vegetables (13.2% vs. 29.1%); and dairy (41.8% vs. 70%).

The primary source of this article is MedPage Today, Little Falls, New Jersey, on Oct. 5, 2011.

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