Innovation and Changes in Child Nutrition Programs: National and State of Louisiana

Abstract

The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010, a reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act sets new nutrition standards for meal patterns, food sold and served in schools, and requires training and professional standards development for all school nutrition personnel. Major improvements are being made across the country and in Louisiana to incorporate these standards, increase access to healthy food and promote student wellness. The National School Lunch and National School Breakfast Programs improve diet, reduce food insecurity and improve overall health. In April 2015, LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center partnered with the Louisiana Department of Education's Division of Nutrition Support to launch the Louisiana Fit Kids project, which aims to strengthen child nutrition programs through a variety of key initiatives. An interactive website was launched to include meal planning, assist with implementation of professional standards requirements for child nutrition personnel, house the approved Smart Snacks listing for Louisiana, and other child nutrition topics. High on the priority list is the completion of a statewide needs assessment to determine training needs, technical assistance requirements, and other priorities which will help allocate resources for future action plans. The needs assessment survey was launched in September 2015 with plans to publish results by January 2016. The data collected will be analyzed to categorize the five regions of the state in terms of trainings needed, technology available and other aspects of their child nutrition program. Portions of the survey include questions about barriers to successful implementation of the child nutrition program, along with training needs related to meal planning and meal pattern requirements. Preliminary data suggest barriers to meal participation vary between 33–83%, trainings related to meal planning vary between 29–63% or meal pattern requirements vary between 40–57%. Complete survey results will point to differences in the five regions of the state and will allow comparisons to other states and national child nutrition data. Louisiana has set some standards differently from USDA, primarily restricting calorie content in the Smart Snacks listing and with several products excluded that have been exempted by USDA. Results of the needs assessment survey and differences between Louisiana and USDA will be the focus of this presentation, along with a discussion of future directions for this project which has Louisiana on the forefront of high achievements in the realm of child nutrition within the school system.Support or Funding InformationSupported by the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Nutrition Support