USDA revises school lunch standards

STATE — New federal nutrition standards for school food that came into effect this year are being revised to allow nutrition directors more flexibility in menu planning and ordering.

In September, schools started serving food that met nutrition standards enacted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that limited calories and serving sizes on grain and protein and increased the amount of fruits and vegetables schools were required to serve in order to receive reimbursement under the National School Lunch Program.

In November, Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D) and Senator Mark Pryor (R-AR) requested greater flexibility from USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

According to a press release from Hoeven's Office, the Senator received multiple complaints from school administrators, teachers and parents about the new standards.

Nine other Senators signed the letter to Vilsack. Last Saturday, Hoeven's office reported the USDA had agreed to free up some of the restrictions.

In a December 7 letter to regional and state nutritional directors, USDA Child Nutritional Director Cynthia Long announced that daily and weekly maximums for grain and protein would be relaxed.

The maximums were applied differently by age group, presenting challenges for school kitchens that serve multiple grades – like Buckfield Junior-Senior High and Poland Regional High School, which serves Whittier Middle School.

In her letter, Long acknowledged the grains maximums limited menu planning flexibility, precluded serving popular items like sandwiches on a daily basis and complicated purchasing. 

Limitations on serving meat and “meat alternative” products similarly presented challenges to schools, according to Long – some items that met the new requirements were not available from vendors.

The revisions mean schools still need to meet the minimum daily and weekly requirements for meat and grain, but the maximum limits no longer apply – schools that qualify will receive their reimbursement regardless.

Betty Hayes, the nutrition director for RSU 16 and vice president of the Maine School Nutrition Association, welcomes the new revisions.

Relaxing the standards allows more flexibility in her menu planning and budgeting, she says.

The suspended maximums may only be a brief respite, however – it may only apply to the 2012-2013 school year.

The USDA standards also require schools to begin changing breakfast programs and limiting sodium. The new rules are set to be introduced over the next few years.