SNA favors elimination of grains, proteins limits
March 05, 2013 | 08:29 PM
The School Nutrition Association, which represents the makers of school meals, has announced it favors a bill eliminating weekly limits on grains and proteins in school meals, just as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack testified on the school meals issue before the House Agriculture Committee.
The Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service wrote the school meals regulation as part of the implementation of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.
The bill was introduced by Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.
SNA said in a news release last Friday that “these limits prevent school cafeterias from offering healthy options like daily sandwiches (too much grain), a small side of peanut butter with celery sticks or low and non-fat cheese or yogurt on the salad bar (too much protein).”
“By permanently eliminating weekly grain and protein limits while maintaining calorie limits and whole grain requirements, USDA can protect the nutritional integrity of the school meal standards while giving cafeterias more flexibility to design healthy menus that meet both the standards and student tastes,” the SNA said.
At a House Agriculture Committee hearing, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who has opposed the caloric limits in each school meal, asked Vilsack whether the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act required caloric limits.
Vilsack said that the law was written to address childhood obesity and the caloric limits were imposed to help meet the reduction goal. King suggested that the rules “ration meat,” but the secretary said the rules give the schools more “protein choices.”
Vilsack also noted that USDA has given the schools flexibility in their servings as long as they meet overall weekly caloric limits.
The Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service wrote the school meals regulation as part of the implementation of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.
The bill was introduced by Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.
SNA said in a news release last Friday that “these limits prevent school cafeterias from offering healthy options like daily sandwiches (too much grain), a small side of peanut butter with celery sticks or low and non-fat cheese or yogurt on the salad bar (too much protein).”
“By permanently eliminating weekly grain and protein limits while maintaining calorie limits and whole grain requirements, USDA can protect the nutritional integrity of the school meal standards while giving cafeterias more flexibility to design healthy menus that meet both the standards and student tastes,” the SNA said.
At a House Agriculture Committee hearing, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who has opposed the caloric limits in each school meal, asked Vilsack whether the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act required caloric limits.
Vilsack said that the law was written to address childhood obesity and the caloric limits were imposed to help meet the reduction goal. King suggested that the rules “ration meat,” but the secretary said the rules give the schools more “protein choices.”
Vilsack also noted that USDA has given the schools flexibility in their servings as long as they meet overall weekly caloric limits.
