As a long-time educator and advocate for child nutrition, USA Rice supports school foodservice efforts to serve nutritious meals each day. Rice plays an important role in a healthier future for students, so read on about how you can get involved and about the latest USA Rice efforts.

First Lady Michelle Obama Announces New School Meal Regulations, Love of Brown Rice

Students at Parklawn Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia received a treat when First Lady Michelle Obama ate lunch with them in their cafeteria. The official visit celebrated the launch of new school meal nutrition standards, finalized in January by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Mrs. Obama also spoke to parents and thanked them for their continued support in providing children with healthier choices.

"This movement to improve the food in our schools is happening in large part because of all of you," Mrs. Obama said. "It's happening because you all stood up, it's happening because you all spoke out and you asked for something better for our kids."

Brown rice gets an A+ with Mrs. Obama who chatted with students about their favorite food. "I love brown rice," said Obama. "That's all we eat at home."

Celebrity cook Rachael Ray prepared turkey tacos served with brown rice, black bean and corn salad, and mixed fresh fruit.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Chef José Andres also joined the festivities. New school meal nutrition standards call for a wider selection of fruits and veggies, and making all grains whole-grain rich by 2014.

Children’s Health Advocate Kicks Off National Nutrition Month at Little Rock School

Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Joe Thompson, and rice farmer Dow Brantley spoke to more than 600 students at Fulbright Elementary School about the importance of nutrition.

Thompson, a pediatrician and pioneer in childhood obesity prevention, urged students to be active and eat healthy foods such as rice. "This was an important opportunity to educate students about good nutrition and physical activity," Thompson said. "They were eager to learn, and we appreciated the school’s interest in educating kids on how to have a healthy lifestyle.”

Rice producer Dow Brantley of England, AR, taught students about the domestic rice production, describing how rice is grown and transported from the farm to the table. Students received a rice classroom learning booklet and a brown rice recipe mix to make at home with their families.

During lunch, students sampled a flavored vegetable brown rice to familiarize them with whole grains as school meal planners comply with new U.S. Department of Agriculture school nutrition standards that emphasize whole grains and other healthy foods. Students voted overwhelmingly in favor of the taste and received “I love brown rice!” stickers for their participation.

USA Rice Federation and Chartwells School Dining Teach Students About Healthy Eating

Margaret Wills Elementary School students in Amarillo, TX, experienced firsthand that healthy eating is delicious and fun! As part of Chartwells "EAT. LEARN. LIVE. With Color Nutrition Month^®" promotion, USA Rice Federation and a local rice farmer visited the school to conduct education sessions for 350 students. Students and teachers learned about the importance of choosing whole grains, eating more fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, beans and other nutritious foods. They also learned about rice as an important U.S. agricultural crop—how rice is grown, types of rice and nutrition benefits.

Through cooking demonstrations by Chartwells Chef Ernest Fernandez, students sampled Spanish rice made with 100% whole grain brown rice, and were given a rice recipe mix to make at home with their families. Students received USA Rice-Chartwells "U.S.-Grown Rice in the Classroom" booklets, a rice cookbook and fun prizes for answering USA Rice quiz questions. The day was devoted to teaching Amarillo students to become knowledgeable eaters and to see the important connection with farmers and chefs by learning how rice is grown, cooked and integrated into a balanced meal, like Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls, which were featured on the lunch menu.

View local news broadcast.

Healthier U.S. School Challenge

As the centerpiece of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign, the Healthier U.S. School Challenge (HUSSC) recognizes schools participating in the National School Lunch Program that have created healthier school environments through nutrition and physical activity. Enriched white and whole grain brown rice is a simple way to add more grains to the menu and encourage better eating habits.

Awards with monetary incentives are awarded for each HUSSC award level: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Gold Award of Distinction. The goal of 1,250 schools receiving awards has been met.

Submit an application today for your chance to make a difference!

USA Rice Tip!

Did you know you can obtain rice through the USDA Commodity Program? Learn how you can easily get the rice you need to create the healthy dishes your students will love.

Reading the commodity codes for rice. Use the commodity code that corresponds with the rice you want. Under the descriptions, "L," "M" and "S" stand for long, medium and short grain rice; "B" is for brown rice. The number after the letter indicates pack size. So, code B521, "Rice M 50" is medium grain in a 50-pound bag. The chart here shows all the commodity codes and their descriptions.

If you don't see what you're looking for, contact your food distributor or click here.

Rice Provides Nutritional Balance The recently-introduced MyPlate graphic highlights grains as one of the five key factors in eating a well-balanced meal. Rice is the ideal grain as it's naturally nutritious, highly digestible, non-allergenic and provides a simple solution to getting kids on the road to a balanced diet.