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Background
Schools across the city, state and nation have been grappling with developing meaningful and applicable guidelines on this issue of obesity for the past decade. Standards have been created to address types of foods and beverages sold, provided, or served to students within school buildings. These standards inform BPS' policy on Food and Nutrition.
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BPS' Food and Nutrition Policy
The Boston Public Schools supports lifelong healthy eating habits for all students and staff, and is committed to addressing the increasing rates of diet-related health consequences among these groups. BPS shall promote healthy lifestyles and appropriate nutritional practices for all students.
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BPS Implementation Guidelines
Preparation of all competitive foods and beverages must meet state and federal food safety guidelines. The Boston Public Schools offers guidelines in order to assure these safety guidelines.
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USDA: How does the National School Lunch Program work?
School districts that take part in the lunch program get cash subsidies and USDA foods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for each meal they serve. In return, they must serve lunches that meet Federal requirements, and they must offer free
or reduced price lunches to eligible children. -
USDA: What is the National School Lunch Program?
The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in over 100,000 public and non‐profit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low‐cost or free lunches to more than 31 million children each school day.
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BPS Offers Universal Free Meals for Every Child
The Boston Public Schools will serve free meals – both lunch and breakfast -- to all students, regardless of their income status this year. Boston becomes one of the largest cities in the nation to join a program aimed at serving healthy meals to more children and save families money. “Every child has a right to healthy, nutritious meals in school, and when we saw a chance to offer these healthy meals at no cost to them, we jumped at the chance,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “This takes the burden of proof off our low-income families and allows all children, regardless of income, to know healthy meals are waiting for them at school every day.”
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ThinkProgress: Boston Public Schools to Serve All Students Free Meals
Boston Public Schools will serve both free breakfast and lunch to all students this year, regardless of their families’ income.
Three-quarters of the country’s teachers say they have students who routinely show up to school hungry. Half say hunger is a serious problem in their classrooms. More than one in five children lack steady access to food. -
Medical Daily: Free Meals For Boston Public School Students: All Qualify, Regardless Of Family Income
Nearly one out of every 10 children in America lives in a household that struggles to put food on the table, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Such ‘food insecurity’ is more common in large cities and rural areas than it is in the suburbs. In one major American city, though, the children have just become more secure — Boston public schools will be serving free meals to all students, regardless of family income, throughout the coming academic year. Both breakfast and lunch will be provided courtesy of the USDA's Community Eligibility Option.
