What is the School Meals Initiative (SMI) for Healthy Children?
The School Meals Initiative (SMI) includes all of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) regulations and policies that address the nutrition standards for school meals. USDA issued the final School Meals Initiative (SMI) for Healthy Children regulations in 1995 after the passage of the Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act of 1994, which requires that meals under the NSLP and SBP meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The SMI regulations define how the Dietary Guidelines are applied to school meals. State agencies are required to conduct SMI Reviews of each school district or SFA participating in the NSLP once every five years.
