Salisbury Central School

Wellness/Fitness
School Lunch Program Links

The Connecticut State Department of Education’s (CSDE) National School Lunch Program site and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDE) National School Lunch Program site are valuable resources regarding the guidelines that Salisbury Central School is required to follow when running its lunch program and to comply with our Healthy Food Certification. If you are interested in learning more, please follow the links listed below.

USDA’s National School Lunch Program - The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946. To learn more about the USDA’s National School Lunch Program, follow the link above.

Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 - Improving child nutrition is the focal point of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). The legislation authorizes funding and sets policy for the
USDA's core child nutrition programs: the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Summer Food Service Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act allows the USDA, for the first time in over 30 years, the opportunity to make real reforms to the school lunch and breakfast programs by improving the critical nutrition and hunger safety net for millions of children. To learn more about the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, follow the link above.

Healthy Food Certification – Section 10-215f of the Connecticut General Statutes requires that each board of education or governing authority for all public schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (including Salisbury Central School) must certify annually to the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) whether the district will follow the Connecticut Nutrition Standards for all foods sold to students separately from reimbursable school meals. The Connecticut Nutrition Standards apply to all sources of food sales on school premises at all times including, but not limited to, school stores, vending machines, school cafeterias and any fundraising activities on school premises. In the spring of 2011, the Salisbury Board of Education elected to follow the requirements necessary to participate in the State of Connecticut’s Healthy Food Certification program beginning with the 2011-12 school year. To learn more about Healthy Food Certification, follow the link above.

Connecticut Nutrition Standards - The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) developed the Connecticut Nutrition Standards in response to Section 10-215e of the Connecticut General Statutes, which requires the CSDE to publish a set of nutrition standards for foods offered for sale to students separately from a reimbursable school lunch or breakfast. The nutrients addressed in the Connecticut Nutrition Standards are based on current nutrition science and national health recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and national organizations, such as the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Dietetic Association and American Academy of Pediatrics. To learn more about the Connecticut Nutrition Standards, follow the link above.

List of Acceptable Foods and Beverages - Districts that choose to implement healthy food certification under Section 10-215f of the Connecticut General Statutes can only sell items separate from reimbursable school meals if they are found on the CSDE’s List of Acceptable Foods and Beverages. This list can be accessed by following the link above.