The Math on School Meals

 The need for Star Food Healthy Express reimbursable meal vending machines has never been greater ... consider these facts from a recent story in the New York Times.

Year that President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act, guaranteeing a hot lunch for every schoolchild who could not afford one: 1946 

Number of students fed as part of the national school lunch program every day: 30.4 million 

Amount the federal government spends on the national school breakfast and lunch programs combined (both reimbursements and commodity food): $17.8 billion 

Maximum amount of federal money a district can get for a school lunch for the 2017-18 school year in the contiguous United States: $3.31 

Average cost in 2016 of a school lunch for a high school student who doesn’t qualify for a free or reduced meal: $2.60 

Percentage of schools with unpaid student meal debt: 76 

Percentage of schools in the federal farm-to-school program, which helps smooth procurement regulations and educates children about farming and nutrition: 42 

Number of schools that have a garden on site: 7,101 

Number of salad bars donated to schools since 2010 as part of the Salad Bars to Schools program: 5,083 

Accompanying story:  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/dining/school-lunch-trump-obama.html?WT.mc_id=SmartBriefs-Newsletter&WT.mc_ev=click&ad-keywords=smartbriefsnl

by KIM SEVERSON 

Sources: United States Department of Agriculture, Federal Register, the School Nutrition Association, the National Farm to School Network, the Chef Ann Foundation, School Meals That Rock.