School lunches could be more nutritious and healthier for children than food brought from home.
More than half - 60 percent - of students in America's elementary and secondary schools receive a significant portion of calories from school lunches.
Virginia Tech researchers examined school lunches, comparing them to samples of lunches brought from home. They found food provided by educational institutions was, on average, healthier than home-packed lunches.
"We found that both packed and school lunches almost entirely met nutrition standards, except school lunches were below energy and iron recommendations, whereas packed lunches exceeded fat and saturated fat recommendations," Alisha R. Farris, study head, said.
School lunches from three rural schools in Virginia, provided to the youngest students, were examined by researchers. A group of graduate and undergraduate researchers were each assigned around ten students to observe over a period of five days. They recorded 57.2 percent of students ate lunches provided by the schools, while the remainder - 42.8 percent - brought food from home. In all, the study examined 560 homemade lunches, as well as 750 meals provided by the schools.
Packed lunches were found to be higher in carbohydrates, sugar, fat, and saturated fats than meals provided by schools. School lunches provided more protein, vitamin A, and calcium than foods brought from home, but also higher concentrations of sodium - an average of 1,000 milligrams, compared to 880 for home food. Researchers believe the difference may be due, in part, to sugary desserts and drinks provided in many lunches packed at home.
Home lunches contained less fruit, vegetables, and milk than midday meals prepared by schools, according to investigators in the study.
Nutritional standards directed under the 2012-2013 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provide minimum standards for food provided by school systems. This was the first major study done of school lunches, comparing them to home-packed meals, following adoption of the new standards.
No consideration was given in the study to how much of the foods were consumed by children, and what percent of the meals were discarded.
Investigators believe their study could provide evidence for educational campaigns aimed at encouraging healthier home-packaged school lunches.
"Habits develop in early childhood and continue into adolescence and adulthood. Therefore, this is a critical time to promote healthy eating," Elena L. Serrano of the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise at Virginia Tech, told the press.
Study of school lunches and how their nutrition compares to the national school lunch program was published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
