School Lunch Report Card Shows Some Improvement PCRM’s seventh
annual School Lunch Report Card finds many school cafeterias
improving, but more meatless meals are still needed to fight
childhood obesity. The report card grades the nation’s major
school districts on how well schools promote the benefits of
healthy eating to students. This year, PCRM dietitians analyzed
the lunches served to elementary school students in 20 school
districts across the country. PCRM dietitians were looking for
schools that offer a healthful vegetarian entrée daily and a
cholesterol-free vegan option daily, serve a fresh fruit or a
low-fat vegetable side dish, provide a nondairy beverage to all
students, and offer programs that promote healthful eating
habits. To receive a high grade in PCRM’s School Lunch Report
Card, schools must go above and beyond U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) requirements. Many nutrition experts,
including PCRM, agree that these requirements are inadequate and
outdated because they continue to permit