when did the free school lunch program start
June 4, 1946
title: School meal programs in the United States text: States is the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman in 1946. Its purpose is to prevent malnutrition and provide a foundation for good nutritional health. The text of the National School Lunch Act, which established the program, called it a "measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the nation's children and to encourage domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities". The NSLP currently operates in more than 100,000 public schools, nonprofit private schools, and residential care institutions. It provides more than 5 billion low-cost or free lunches per title: School meal programs in the United States text: and purchased surplus commodities (Levine 6). Schools served as an outlet for federal commodity donations. In 1935, the programs expanded through the Works Progress Administration and the National Youth Administration, both of which provided labor for school cafeterias. During World War II, the War Food Administration (1943–45) helped create school lunch programs. Eventually, the New Deal policies began to dissolve, and farm surpluses decreased. However, there was still a desire to keep school lunch programs in place, so federal cash assistance began to be appropriated on a year-to-year basis, and the National School Lunch Program was developed. The United States title: School meal text: meals have been served at the rate of 500,000 daily in 10,000 schools throughout the country." The permanent National School Lunch Program was created in 1946, with the National School Lunch Act. This legislation won rural support because it removed surplus food from the market and thus raised prices paid to farmers. Congress intended these meals to promote and protect child nutrition, while also supporting the consumption of American farm products. Today, the National School Lunch Program is a federal nutrition assistance program operating in over 101,000 public schools, non-profit private schools, and residential care institutions. It is regulated and title: School meal programs in the United States text: obesity, heart disease, and other chronic health problems." In 2010, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act made the most sweeping changes in the history of the NSLP, putting vending-machine snacks and "à la carte" menu items under federal regulation for the first time. Championed by First Lady Michelle Obama and directed by the USDA, the law established guidelines requiring more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in school meals. The guidelines, which took effect in the 2012–13 school year, also limited sodium, fat, and caloric intake based on students' ages. Historically, the NSLP and other food programs have been used to improve title: School meal programs in the United States text: Congress passed the National School Lunch Act in 1946 after an investigation found that the poor health of men rejected for the World War II draft was associated with poor nutrition in their childhood. By the end of its first year, the National School Lunch Program had helped 7.1 million children. However, from the start, the program linked children’s nutrition to the priorities of agricultural and food interests, and to the agenda of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In these early years, the program provided substantial welfare to commercial farmers as an outlet for surplus commodities, but provided