Big data takes byte out of lunch

This can help provide even greater insight into designing nutritious meals to keep students healthy.

“The average height of students across all age groups has increased because of the Nutrition Improvement Plan,” said Lu Mai, vice-chairman and secretary-general of the China Development Research Foundation.

“That particularly applies to children receiving school meals for the past three or four years or are aged between 11 to 15,” Lu added. “The average height of students has increased by more than five centimeters.”

Vice-Premier Liu Yandong has praised the program and stressed that improving the diet for students is crucial to help teenagers stay healthy. Malnutrition problems still exist in poverty stricken regions of the country. But the rates among students in rural areas has dramatically fallen from 18.5 percent in 2012 to 15.4 percent in 2016 because of the government-backed program.

“It is also an important part of the poverty alleviation work,” said Li Wei, minister of the Development Research Center of the State Council. “More than 33 million students have benefited since the implementation of the Nutrition Improvement Plan.

“Children’s nutritional status is an important indicator to evaluate a nation’s economic and social development,” added Li.