New standards for school cafeteria food beginning Fall, 2012

From San Francisco Chronicle/Jill Tucker, 1/26/12, "New school food guidelines mean healthier fare."

No more mystery food

"School cafeterias will have to feature a lot more whole grain, fruits and vegetables, and reduce salt, fat and fried foods under new federal rules released Wednesday. The new regulations are the first major changes to school breakfast and lunch standards in 15 years and, for the first time, set maximum calories allowed per meal. That will mean better, healthier food for kids beginning in the fall - and a much bigger grocery bill for schools.

Cafeterias will have to forgo the cheaper enriched grains and opt for the more expensive brown rice, whole-wheat breads and whole-grain pasta. They'll have to offer a variety of fruits and vegetables - red, yellow and green leafy - as well as low-sodium protein or legumes.  Federal funding for school meals will depend on it.  

Nutrition advocates applauded the new standards for the 32 million children who participate in the national school breakfast and lunch program each day. "Parents can now imagine their children coming home from school with a new found love for spinach, sweet potatoes and whole-wheat spaghetti," said Dawn Undurraga, staff nutritionist with Environmental Working Group, which works on public health issues, in a statement. "That's a positive development that will have a lasting impact as they grow into strong, fit young adults."  Read more.

Other references: The Week, 1/26/12, links to Fox News, Guardian, TIME, USA Today, USDA.
And, a conservationist article from Wordpress, 1/14/12.

Posted by Kathy Meeh