According to the National Dairy Council, the dietary guidelines, numerous health organizations and the latest science support the continued role of cheese as a core component of child nutrition programs as well as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
Cheese is a nutritious food that nourishes growing children.
• As a good source of high-quality, easily digestible protein, cheese is considered a meat alternative by National School Lunch Program, and can be served as an ounce-for-ounce substitute for meat. Cheese can also, in some cases, be substituted for fluid milk in the WIC programs.
• Some types of cheese are excellent sources of calcium, delivering 27 percent of the mineral in the U.S. food supply. One-and-a-half ounces of some natural cheese contains approximately 300 mg of calcium, the equivalent of one cup of milk.
Cheese is part of a healthy eating pattern.
• Results from two studies of middle school children indicated that the addition of cheese to various menu offerings may help increase the consumption of some food groups to encourage fruit, vegetables and whole grains compared to when cheese was not offered. Cheese is considered a healthy snack food for school children.
• The School Nutrition Association has developed nutrition recommendations for foods sold outside reimbursable meals and allows up to one ounce of cheese per serving. Because it provides important nutrients, cheese is exempt from fat and saturated fat standards and it is considered a “tier 1” (more healthful) food.
• The Alliance for a Healthier Generation also has developed a voluntary set of recommendations for competitive foods in schools, and has included reducedfat and part-skim cheese, nuts, nut butters and seeds as part of their Healthy Schools Program.
• The AHG also exempts reduced-fat and part-skim cheese from saturated fat and sodium limits (as required for other snack foods), so schools can offer up to 1.5-ounce servings of cheese as a qualified snack food.
• Cheese may help prevent the formation of dental cavities and is recommended as a healthful snack by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
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