USDA Announces Stricter Standards for School Nutrition

Feb. 7, 2022 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has introduced new modifications to highschool diet requirements for the subsequent 2 faculty years, which is able to reinstate well being targets that had been rolled again in the course of the Trump administration.

The Biden administration can also be tightening guidelines for fats and salt content material in meals after restrictions had been eased in the course of the pandemic, based on The Washington Post.

“Nutritious school meals give America’s children the foundation for successful, healthy lives,” Tom Vilsack, the U.S. agriculture secretary, stated in a press release on Friday.

“We applaud schools’ heroic efforts throughout the challenges of this pandemic to continue serving kids the most nutritious meals possible,” he stated. “The standards we’re putting in place of the next 2 school years will help schools transition to a future that builds on the tremendous strides they’ve made improving school meal nutrition over the past decade.”

For the 2022-2023 faculty 12 months, faculties and childcare suppliers will probably be required to supply low-fat or nonfat unflavored milks and restrict the fats in candy flavored milks. In addition, a minimum of 80% of the grains served throughout faculty breakfasts and lunches every week should be thought of wealthy in complete grains.

For the 2023-2024 faculty 12 months, the weekly sodium restrict for college lunches will probably be decreased by 10%.

The modifications mark a shift from the Trump administration, which eased insurance policies on complete grains, nonfat milk, and sodium, the newspaper reported. Then the pandemic compelled extra modifications as faculty districts scrambled to package deal meals for college kids. The USDA granted further flexibility and eased some pointers to make sure that kids may very well be fed whereas faculties had been closed or centered on distant studying.

Now the USDA is updating the diet requirements to “give schools clear expectations for gradual transition from current pandemic operations to more nutritious meals,” Stacy Dean, the USDA’s deputy undersecretary for meals, diet and client companies, advised reporters final week.

The Biden administration’s modifications symbolize a shift again to Obama-era diet requirements from 2012, based on the Post. But some diet advocates have stated the brand new modifications don’t handle sufficient points, resembling added sugars. Fruit and vegetable necessities, as an illustration, will stay the identical because the 2012 requirements.

That stated, some advocates have stated the transition may very well be robust as faculties transfer out of pandemic-era protocols. The School Nutrition Association, which represents faculty meals service producers and professionals, has urged Congress to supply extra help and waiver extensions for the subsequent faculty 12 months.

“School nutrition professionals are frantic just trying to get enough food on the tray for our students amid relentless supply chain disruptions and labor shortages,” Beth Wallace, the affiliation’s president, advised the newspaper.

The shift will probably require a balancing act and sluggish transition. The USDA has been consulting with stakeholders for months to find out easy methods to transfer towards stricter faculty diet requirements whereas additionally acknowledging the pandemic, provide chain disruptions, and labor shortages.

“This approach is really going to help move forward the nutrition of the meals and allows the schools to continue to function effectively,” Geri Henchy, director of diet coverage on the Food Research and Action Center, advised the Post.

“Schools can’t make big changes at this point because of the supply chain and staffing,” she stated. “They have a lot of waivers at this point that are helping them, and this balances the needs of all the different sectors.”

The USDA plans to challenge a proposed rule in fall 2022 to replace diet requirements for the long run, the division stated in its announcement, which might be finalized for the 2024-2025 faculty 12 months.