This ran in the Omaha World Herald. Read the entire article at http://www.omaha.com/article/20120709/NEWS/707099923/1707#new-school-lunch-rules-less-bread-less-salt.
My opinion: Unfortunately, regardless of how nutritious something is, if kids don't like it they won't eat it. And if they don't get enough to eat, they won't be happy.
From the article:
"Food companies that cater to schools are shrinking their buns and
breadsticks, removing the breading from chicken nuggets and launching a
host of other new products to give the nation's schools options as they
rewrite menus to comply with strict new federal school lunch rules."
"(School food service) managers are feeling the pressure to comply with the rule changes, which
they call the most significant in 30 years. Under the 2010 Healthy,
Hunger-Free Kids Act, districts must offer more fruits and vegetables
and increase fiber while limiting grains, meats and sodium. The reward for compliance is an extra federal reimbursement of 6 cents
per meal."
"Much of the calculating focuses on a new requirement that schools
serve kids fewer grain products each week. Figuring out what
combination of breads, buns, breaded products and pastas will fit under
the new limit poses the most difficult challenge in the law this year,
according to company and school officials. Beginning in the coming
school year, for example, kindergartners through fifth-graders will be
restricted to 9 ounces of grains a week for lunch. The average hot dog
bun weighs 1.5 ounces to 2 ounces."
"Sharon Davis, assistant director of nutrition services for the
Nebraska Department of Education, said the rule changes will probably
bring an end to two common cafeteria practices: offering free leftovers
and placing out bowls of bread as a supplement to the day's fare. “That's
a big change,” she said. “The bread baskets probably won't be in
existence anymore.”
