Specifically, rather than requiring that all grain products served in school lunches be whole grains, the government will allow schools to request exemptions to this requirement for the 2017-2018 school year, said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who signed a proclamation outlining the changes on Monday (May 1).
Schools will be allowed to serve 1 percent fat flavored milk- such as chocolate or strawberry – instead of white fat free or 1-percent milk only.
Cheryl Jones, Hall County School District nutrition director, called the decision “realistic”. “We know it isn’t easy, but with over 99 percent of schools meeting the standards, we also know it is possible. That was very unexpected”. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, who chairs the Senate agriculture committee, and leaders of the School Nutrition Association, an industry group that has pushed for changes to school meal rules. While such costs are going up, several states are reporting that they’ve seen a decrease in student participation in school lunches, as over 1 million students choose not to have a school lunch every day, said the USDA.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a 2010 law that was part of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative, was met with intense controversy in school districts.
The new regulations come at a time when the hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama – not to mention the photos of students’ lunches – has been trending on Twitter. The percentage for lunches has dropped from 77.9 percent in 2012 to 67.9 in 2017.
“You could submit for a waiver, we have never done that”, said Taylor. And some students didn’t like the taste. We are not in the habit of feeding trash cans.
Groups that worked on the fruit and vegetable standards for years were concerned when the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced April 28 it planned to make nutrition standards more flexible, said Lorelei DiSogra, vice president of nutrition and health for United Fresh Produce Association. Over the past few years, the senator has toured schools in Kansas to sample meals and talk to students and administrators.
Not everyone is too keen about the rollback on school lunches. Requirements for reduced sodium and mostly whole grains have been relaxed, and the title of the USDA’s press release declared that the plan would “Make School Meals Great Again”. Their justification: kids do not like the food they are being served. We’re giving these professionals, these food service professionals, the flexibility to move as we get a healthier generation. It costs a lot of money.
“This made school food not as flavorful as meals at home or at a restaurant”.
Aside from easing the burden of food companies and schools, Perdue said the loosening of restrictions was also for the kids’ benefit. These rules take effect in the next school year. “Or moving away from whole grains to more refined grains”.
And some chains have added more low-calorie options. “We were doing whole fruit a lot, but this year we brought in sliced bagged apples, sliced oranges and sliced grapefruit, and they went insane over it”.