On June 4, 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act, which permanently authorized the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The legislation was passed in response to concerns that “many American men had been rejected for World War II military service because of diet-related health problems.” Its purpose was to provide a market for agricultural production and to improve the health and well-being of the nation’s youth.
1946 – The National School Lunch Act of 1946.
There was a growing support for a lunch program after World War II. This led to the enactment of the National School Lunch Act in 1946, which provides for both USDA Foods and cash support. Section 6 of this Act provided funds for the purchase of food to be distributed among the schools participating in the lunch program. It had as its stated purpose not only to provide a market for agricultural production, but also to improve the health and well-being of the nation’s youth. This was the beginning of a change in concept of the Food Distribution Program’s major purpose. On June 4, 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act, which permanently authorized the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The legislation was passed in response to concerns that “many American men had been rejected for World War II military service because of diet-related health problems.” Its purpose was to provide a market for agricultural production and to improve the health and well-being of the nation’s youth.
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