Health & wellness
BY CHLOE YOUNG
Districts balance nutrition with student tastes
Weekly school lunch nutrition standards
Milk: 5 cups
Fruits: 2.5-5 cups
Grains: 8-12 ounces
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Each school year, Austin-area districts are tasked with meeting federal and state nutrition guidelines while serving meals that are appetizing to students. These regulations—ranging from limits on sodium, sugar and fat—are intended to help prevent disease in the United States, but can present challenges for districts who must attract students to generate funding, said Susan D’Amico, president of the Texas Association for School Nutrition. “We want Texas kids to be healthier. We want the next generation to be nourished. We want them to be ready to learn,” D’Amico said. “We don’t get money for a meal unless a child takes it ... so we have to make the food appealing.” Nationwide, Austin ISD has set a standard for school
Vegetables: 3.75-5 cups
Meat/meat alternates: 8-12 ounces
NOTE: SERVING SIZES VARY DEPENDING ON GRADE LEVEL. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RELEASED NEW DIETARY GUIDELINES IN JANUARY THAT COULD IMPACT FUTURE SCHOOL NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS. SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY IMPACT
nutrition through scratch cooking and sourcing from local farmers, said Stacie Sanchez Hare, director of No Kid Hungry Texas.
Explained
certain food additives, including red dyes, from free and reduced-price meals beginning in the 2026-27 school year. D’Amico said she believes the law will encourage industry food partners to stop producing products with these dyes and ingredients. AISD has fully eliminated the additives prohibited by SB 314 as it began prioritizing using ingredients with cleaner labels nearly a decade ago, an AISD spokesper- son said.
Texas school districts are required to adhere to an expansive list of nutrition requirements for milk, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and meat that has grown over the years based on U.S. dietary guidelines, D’Amico said. Students are often served milk or yogurt that is lower in sugar, cereals that are whole grain, and meats that are not deep fried and lower in sodium compared to similar products served outside of school walls, D’Amico said. This spring, Texas lawmakers passed SB 314 to ban
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AISD serves over 10 million school meals annually with a sta of more than 550 kitchen employees. The district’s executive chef develops recipes featuring scratch-prepared dishes, global avors and healthy versions of students favorite dishes, an AISD spokesperson said. The district’s modernized service lines allow students to select their own fruits, vegetables and condiments. AISD has used funding from its 2022 bond to install 31 new serving lines last school year and has 27 new serving lines planned for this school year.
“School meals are the most consistent, nutritious meal o ered to children. .... There’s a real gap in what we are doing and what we have the potential to do in terms of feeding kids.” STACIE SANCHEZ HARE, DIRECTOR OF NO KID HUNGRY TEXAS
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