Final answer:
The optimal starting point to research school lunch nutrition is a reputable nutrition website or database, as it offers up-to-date nutrition guidelines, food nutrient charts, and educational resources.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first resource to conduct research on nutritional components of a school lunch program would be C) A reputable nutrition website or database. These resources typically provide comprehensive, up-to-date information on nutrition guidelines, the nutritional content of foods, and how to create balanced meals for children's health and education. They may offer tools such as a Food Nutrient Chart and Recommended Daily Allowances chart that can help in planning and evaluating school lunch programs. Moreover, they likely include research studies, for example, one by P. A. Williams et al. on improving children's diets, which underscores the importance of nutritional education in tandem with access to healthy foods.
Understanding that merely restricting children's access to junk food at school is not enough to prevent obesity and that physical activity and healthy eating are a fundamental part of a child's education, a reputable nutrition website or database can provide the essential information needed to support these objectives.