Premium
Effects of the 2102 USDA meal pattern requirements on the service of beans & peas (pulse crops) in school lunch programs (632.5)
Author(s) -
Rueda Janice
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.632.5
Subject(s) - meal , service (business) , agricultural science , school meal , agriculture , micronutrient , business , agricultural economics , geography , environmental science , medicine , environmental health , food science , biology , marketing , economics , archaeology , pathology
Beginning with the 2012‐13 school year, the USDA instituted new meal pattern requirements for districts participating in the National School Lunch Program. One new requirement was the service of at least one 0.5 cup serving of “beans and peas” (pulse crops) per week. Pulse crops, which include dry beans, dry peas, lentils and chickpeas, are excellent sources of dietary fiber and rich in protein, micronutrients and phytochemicals. Despite their low cost and healthful attributes, pulse crops are not widely used in school meal programs. While it was expected that the new requirement would increase the service of pulse crops by NSLP‐participating districts, this has not been the case. Here, an analysis of procurement data from school year 2011‐2012 (pre‐) and 2012‐2013 (post‐implementation) from school districts of different sizes (>40,000, 20‐39,999 and <20,000 students) and regions of the country (midwest and west) will be presented that illustrate the changes in service of pulse crops resulting from implementation of the new meal requirements. Grant Funding Source : Supported by the American Pulse Association