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      Nationwide Polling Regarding Parents' Views of School Meal and Smart Snacks Standards

      Research Sep-08-2014 | Hart Research Associates/Ferguson Research | 1-min read
      1. Insights
      2. Our Research
      3. Nationwide Polling Regarding Parents' Views of School Meal and Smart Snacks Standards
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      RWJF Signs of Progress Project, Mississippi. Eastside Elementary School. Student sitting in cafeteria at Eastside Elementary School

       

      The United States Department of Agriculture implemented healthier new standards for school meals beginning in the 2012-2013 school year.


      Updated standards for snacks took effect for the current school year. This is a nationally representative poll of registered voter parents who have children in public school, and their opinions of nutrition standards for both school meals and snack foods and beverages.

       

      Key Findings


       

      • Most parents who participated in the poll favor nutrition standards for all food served in schools: 72 percent favor national standards for school meals, 72 percent support standards for school snacks, and 91 percent support requiring schools to include a serving of fruits or vegetables with every meal.

         

      • 75 percent of parents think salt should be limited in meals.

         

      • The majority of these parents are concerned with the state of children’s health (80%) and with childhood obesity (74%).

         

      • Most of these parents hold a mixed or negative opinion of the nutritional quality of snack foods and beverages traditionally sold in schools and consider them to be only somewhat or not at all healthy. This applies to foods sold a la carte (69%), in school stores (72%), and in vending machines (81%).

         

      About the Poll

      The poll was released by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Heart Association. The poll was conducted by Hart Research Associates and Ferguson Research. Data were collected via telephone surveys between June 19 and 28, 2014, among registered voters who are parents of public school students.

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      Press Release: School Leaders Report Widespread Student Acceptance of Healthier Lunches, Studies Find

      Majority of K–12 students like the school meals after they were improved based on new USDA nutrition standards, a new study finds.

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      Infographic: Healthier School Meals Matter

      Strong school nutrition standards can help reduce obesity. See what happens when schools offer more fruit and vegetable options.

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      Students get lunch from the cafeteria at Tanglewood Middle School, which participates in a healthy school lunch program. The Food and Nutrition Services department sources from local farms and receives extra training to create healthier meal options for students.

      Success Stories: Smart Snacks in Schools

      New USDA nutrition standards adopted from the Healthy Schools Program challenge schools in the 2014–2015 academic year to offer healthier foods. See early results in 10 pilot sites.

      1-min read

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      Press Release: Parents Support Healthier School Food Policies by 3-to-1 Margin

      The vast majority of parents support strong national nutrition standards for all school foods and beverages. See the findings of the nationwide poll from Pew Charitable Trusts, American Heart Association, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

      1-min read

      Childhood Obesity
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