Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-9-2020
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Nutrition and Hospitality Management
First Advisor
Georgianna Mann
Second Advisor
Laurel Lambert
Third Advisor
Kathy Knight
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 established national nutrition standards for school meals, these standards included mandates for whole grain serving requirements and sodium and flavored milk restrictions. In 2017, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture relaxed the standards allowing schools to serve 1% flavored milk, half of grains offered as refined grains, and halted reduction of sodium standards. This study investigated perceptions of child nutrition program directors in Mississippi regarding these changes. An online survey was used to assess Mississippi child nutrition program directors’ perceived barriers to implementation of the original standards and their perceptions of the recent changes on their meal programs. With the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 most (70%) child nutrition program directors reported decreased revenue. Barriers that schools faced in implementing the original standards included children’s food preferences, training, and availability of compliant foods through vendors. The most common response noted was children’s food preferences as the biggest barrier to reaching sodium targets. Since the relaxation of federal school nutrition standards, child nutrition program directors noted increases in revenue and meal quality. Overall, the relaxed standards were viewed positively by child nutrition program directors.
Recommended Citation
Meadows, Payton, "Perceptions of School Nutrition Standard Rollbacks by Child Nutrition Program Directors in Mississippi" (2020). Honors Theses. 1489.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1489
Accessibility Status
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