USDA FNS’ Western Regional Office recognizes Nat’l School Breakfast Week
SAN FRANCISCO, California—The Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service recognizes National School Breakfast Week during March 4-8. This year’s national theme is Surf’s Up with School Breakfast, highlighting the importance of school breakfast and its value in improving children’s health and educational outcomes.
According to studies, children who eat breakfast also have improved moods and increased alertness throughout the morning. Additionally, students who participate in the School Breakfast Program eat a breakfast of higher nutritional quality than students who eat breakfast elsewhere.
“Let’s work together this week to uplift all the nutritious breakfasts schools are serving across the country, and the creative work schools are doing to provide students with nutritious and delicious food,” said USDA FNS Western regional administrator Jesus Mendoza Jr. “Schools are doing great things to feature fruits and vegetables, locally sourced foods, and foods with less added sugars.”
The Western Region (Alaska, American Samoa, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington) served school breakfast to over 2.3 million children every school day in school year 2022-2023. Nationally, the School Breakfast Program provides school breakfast to nearly 15 million children in more than 91,000 schools.
USDA’s FNS works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve one in four Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition. (PR)
Balanced breakfast
USDA FNS logo
