The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost, or free lunches to children each school day. The NSLP was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.
In Alabama, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) operates in line with federal guidelines to provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children during school days. The program is available in public and nonprofit private schools, as well as residential childcare institutions. Eligibility for free or reduced-price meals is determined by children's household income levels, which must fall below certain thresholds set by the federal government. The program is administered at the federal level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and at the state level by the Alabama State Department of Education, which oversees the implementation of the program to ensure compliance with federal standards for nutrition, meal planning, and financial management.