National School Lunch Programs (NSLP)

As a parent, you want to know your child is getting the nourishment they need to learn, grow, and thrive while they are at school. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) helps make that possible by providing balanced, nutritious meals every day.

This federally assisted program operates in public schools, nonprofit private schools, and care centers across the country, offering low-cost or no-cost lunches to students who qualify. Participating schools follow federal meal pattern requirements to make sure every lunch meets established nutrition standards. Families who qualify can receive meals at no charge or at a reduced price. Each year, the NSLP program helps feed millions of children from preschool through 12th grade.

The program began with the National School Lunch Act of 1946, signed “as a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the nation’s children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities.”

The program has grown to include school breakfast, after-school snacks, milk service, and other essentials that help meet the nutritional needs of children and teens.

Nutrition Guides
To learn more about the current nutritional product guides and specification sheets, click here.