美國學校午餐發展至今逾100年，期間有數次重要變革。1946年美國國會通過學校午餐法，肯定學校午餐具有健康、教育及福利三項目標，使學校午餐財源不虞匱乏；農業部亦首次建立學校午餐供應標準，加速推動美國學校午餐的辦理。1960年代美國開始注重飢餓與貧窮問題，因此國會於1966年通過兒童營養法，將學校午餐計劃延伸到學前兒童，且建立學校早餐計劃，1968年再將學校餐食計畫推展至不在學的兒童。1980年起，由於財政困難，美國聯邦政府對學校午餐經費刪減，使學校午餐發展受阻，直至1988年才逐漸恢復。美國國會對學校午餐的定位為並非福利政策，而是增進所有學童的營養，他具有建立學生良好飲食習慣及提供生長所需之營養的雙重功能，因此學校午餐供應品質或在學生營養的角色非常重要。早期研究顯示，參加學校午餐的學生在多項營養素的攝取量均高於未參加的學童。但1992年的調查卻發現學校午餐營養不均衡，鈉、脂肪及飽和脂肪量過高，不符合飲食指標，因此1995年美國農業部提出新的午餐標凖，以其提高學校午餐的營養品質。由美國學校午餐之發展、面臨的問題及午餐標凖的變革，可做為我國學校午餐發展之參考。
The National School Lunch Act Passed by US congress in 1946,emphasizedthe school lunch program's value to the health, education, and welfare of children. The USDA established the first nutritional requirements for three types (A,B,C) of school lunch in 1946. The passage of the Child Nutrition ACT of 1966, established the School Breakfast program and expanded school meal program to preschool children. In 1980, legislation was enacted cutting back federal support for Children Nutrition Program to reduce federal domestic spending. In 1988, congress passed the Hunger Prevention Act, which increased the cash subsidy for Child Nutrition Programs. School lunch program supplied a double benefit: assisting in the building of sound nutritional habits and helping provide needed food elements to children during the critical growing age. Therefore, the nutritional quality of school lunch is important. Recent study has shown that the nutrient composition of school lunch did not meet the current dietary standards. The School Meal Initiatives for Healthy Children of 1995 offered new nutrition standards for school lunch program. The development and changes of US School Lunch Standard provide valuable reference for reforming Taiwan School Lunch Standard.
