Present status and issues of school nutrition programs in Korea.

School nutrition programs are essential for children's long-term nutrition and health promotion. The last decade has been the most dramatic years in the history of school nutrition programs in Korea. The percentage of schools serving school lunches reached almost 100% in 2003. In 2006, School Meals Act was significantly revised after serial outbreaks of food-borne illness among students having eaten school lunches. The safety and nutritional quality of school meals had remained as the biggest issue until the middle of 2000s, and then eco-friendly and universal free school lunches have become the main issues related to school meal service and are still under debate. Implementation of the Nutrition Teacher System in 2006 was the turning point of school-based nutrition education in Korea. In addition, two new laws, Special Act on Children's Dietary Life Safety Management of 2008 and Dietary Life Education Support Act of 2009, started to make meaningful changes in school nutrition environment and practices. The next decade is expected to be very critical in the development of school nutrition programs in Korea as the new systems and laws are to be settled. Significant effort is needed from both the academia and the field to make the related issues to be debated and answered to progressive direction for the school nutrition programs in Korea.