School Lunch Changes to take place

Those who are disappointed with school lunches this year- there is new hope. A Dec. 7 memo from the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service to school nutrition officials has instructed them to relax the weekly maximum limits on grains and meats served in school lunches. Those limits were set by nutrition guidelines that started with the new school year. The change is probably due to the large number of complaints about the emaciating (the word of the day- Google it) sized portions the USDA has been receiving. Nutrition advocates favor making this change before Congress decides to get involved. A YouTube video of students mocking changes to school lunches received more than 1 million views. USDA’s flexibility on the issue lets schools serve larger portions of bread and meat as they implement school nutrition standards this school year. The USDA is monitoring the situation to see if more changes are necessary. New USDA nutrition standards identify the healthy ranges for five categories of food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, meats or meat alternatives, in addition to defining the healthy ranges for total calories, saturated and trans fat and sodium. School districts that comply with the new standards are eligible for reimbursement for school meals and a 6 cents per lunch increase in federal funds, which began on Oct. 1.