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New school meals nutrition requirements recommended -- IOM report release Oct. 20

Millions of American schoolchildren eat meals provided through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program every school day. The nutrition standards underlying the meals served through the programs have not been updated since 1995. Since then, we've learned new information about children's nutritional needs as well as the contributions of dietary habits to increases in chronic conditions such as obesity and heart disease. Parents and school leaders question whether school meals are providing adequate nutrients and appropriate kinds of foods and beverages. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children, a new report by the Institute of Medicine, recommends new nutrient targets and standards for menu planning that would bring school meals in line with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Dietary Reference Intakes. The report will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Public briefing:

Members of the committee that wrote the report will be available to discuss their recommendations and take questions at a public briefing starting at 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Oct. 20 in the Holeman Lounge of the National Press Club, 529 14th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. Those who cannot attend in person may listen to a live audio webcast and submit questions through a link that will be available at www.nationalacademies.org on Oct. 20.

Participating from the committee that wrote the report:

• Virginia A. Stallings (chair), Jean A. Cortner Endowed Chair in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; and professor of pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia
• Karen Weber Cullen, professor of pediatrics, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
• Mary Kay Fox, senior researcher, Mathematica Policy Research Inc., Boston
• Helen Jensen, professor of economics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and head, Food and Nutrition Policy Division, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University, Ames
• Mary Jo Tuckwell, senior consultant, inTEAM Associates, Inc., Ashland, Wis.

Embargo:

Advance copies of the report will be available to reporters only beginning at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 19. THE REPORT IS EMBARGOED AND NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BEFORE 12:01 A.M. EDT ON OCT. 20. REPORTERS: To obtain a copy of the report or to register for the briefing, contact the Office of News and Public Information; tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu.

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