The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) has announced new rules to federally funded school lunch programs.
The Agriculture Department proposal applies to lunches subsidized by the federal government and would be the first major nutritional overhaul of school meals in 15 years. The proposed guidelines will be available for public comment for 90 days, and once finalized, will mostly likely go into effect for the 2012-2013 school year.
The guidelines, which were obtained by The Associated Press and confirmed by USDA, would require schools to cut sodium in those meals by more than half, use more whole grains and serve low-fat milk. They also would limit kids to only one cup of starchy vegetables a week.
The good news is that white and flavored milk remain a foundational component of school nutrition programs under the proposed standards, says Ann Marie Krautheim, registered dietitian and senior vice president of nutrition affairs programs for the National Dairy Council.
According to the proposed guidelines, white milk served in schools must be low fat (1 percent) or fat-free. Meanwhile, flavored milks must be fat-free under the new rules, if adopted as currently written. This means that while there is a change in criteria, there is no reduction in milk consumption recommendations for children — they need three servings of dairy daily. Milk is the #1 food source of calcium, potassium and Vitamin D in the diet, providing three of the four nutrients that Americans don’t get enough of.
“Currently, most schools serve 1 percent or fat-free white milk, and just over one-third of flavored milk served is fat-free,” Krautheim says. She adds that the dairy industry is well-equipped to meet the requirements set forth by the proposal.
According to the National Milk Producer Federation’s “Dairy Producer Highlights book,” fluid milk sales in fiscal year 2008-2009 (latest available) were 2.8 billion pounds for school lunch and 1 billion pounds for school breakfast.
The proposed guidelines do not put forth any specifics regarding cheese served in schools. But the overall meal must comply with caloric and sodium content caps, which may impact the types of cheese served.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the new standards could affect more than 32 million children and are crucial because kids can consume as much as half of their daily calories in school.
“If we don’t contain obesity in this country it’s going to eat us alive in terms of health care costs,” Vilsack said Wednesday, prior to the release of the guidelines.
USDA Official Press Release can be found here.
Source: Dairy Herd Management
3 Comments on “New Guidelines for School Lunches”
Milk consumption in schools is not what is making kids obese. Milk consumption is 50% lower than 40 years ago? Tell me that kids are getting fatter while drinking less milk, I don’t think so.
What will you do when your efforts to try to keep kids from becomming obese by the food they consume in schools fail, dictate what they eat while out of school and at home?
Milk consumption in schools is not what is making kids obese. Milk consumption is 50% lower than 40 years ago? Tell me that kids are getting fatter while drinking less milk, I don’t think so.
What will you do when your efforts to try to keep kids from becomming obese by the food they consume in schools fail, dictate what they eat while out of school and at home?
Milk consumption in schools is not what is making kids obese. Milk consumption is 50% lower than 40 years ago? Tell me that kids are getting fatter while drinking less milk, I don’t think so.
What will you do when your efforts to try to keep kids from becomming obese by the food they consume in schools fail, dictate what they eat while out of school and at home?