The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program should adopt a new set of nutrient targets and standards for menu planning, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The recommended targets and standards would improve the programs’ ability to meet children’s nutritional needs and foster healthy eating habits by bringing school meals in line with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Dietary Reference Intakes, the report stated. IOM recommended limits on sodium and the maximum number of calories, and encouraged children to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The programs’ current nutrition standards and meal requirements are based on the 1995 Dietary Guidelines and the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowances. Implementation of the recommendations would likely raise the costs of providing school meals—particularly breakfasts—largely because of the increased amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods involved, stated the committee that wrote the report. A combination of more federal meal reimbursement, capital investment and additional money for training food service operators would be needed to make the necessary changes in school cafeterias. The report updated the school meals programs’ nutrition standards with a recommended set of nutrient targets that are higher for protein, vitamins and minerals, and lower for sodium. The committee also set maximum calorie levels for the first time. Lunches should not exceed 650 calories for students in grades K-5, 700 for children in grades 6-8 and 850 for those in grades 9-12. Breakfast calories should not exceed 500, 550 and 600, respectively, for these grade groups. To reduce the health risks associated with excessive salt intake, the sodium content of school meals should be gradually reduced over the next 10 years. The report recommends that lunches for high school students should eventually contain no more than 740 mg.