Last week the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) committee on revising nutrition requirements for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs heard testimony on their Phase 1 Report. In her testimony before the committee, Dr. Lorelei DiSogra, United Fresh vice president of nutrition and health thanked the committee for acknowledging that children's diets are seriously lacking in fruit, and vegetables – primarily dark green and orange vegetables – and that school meals need to be improved in this regard.

She then went on to urge the committee to play a strong leadership role and to clearly state in their final report that adding the necessary servings of fruits and vegetables to lunch and breakfast will cost more and the reimbursement rate must be increased in order to improve the healthfulness of school meals.

Lorelei also stressed that now is the time for IOM leadership to recommend changes that will transform school meals into models of good nutrition. In response to skepticism that children will not simply "eat their vegetables," Lorelei pointed to the success of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program at increasing children's fresh fruit and vegetable consumption.

The IOM's final report on recommendations to improve school meals is scheduled to be published by the end of the year. For more information, please contact Lorelei at 202-303-3400.