government
Federal rule requires healthier food at schools
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 6, 2012
The Obama administration has finalized new school nutrition standards that will impact nearly 32 million children participating in daily breakfast and lunch programs.
First lady Michelle Obama announced the new requirements with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Jan. 25. The final rule aims to reduce the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium in meals served at school.
"As parents, we try to prepare decent meals, limit how much junk food our kids eat and ensure they have a reasonably balanced diet," she said. "And when we're putting in all that effort, the last thing we want is for our hard work to be undone each day in the school cafeteria."
The nutrition rules, which had not changed in 15 years, now require both fruits and vegetables to be served each day of the week, and it mandates more foods rich in whole grains.
Milk products would be restricted to fat-free and low-fat varieties. Restrictions on starchy vegetables would be eliminated, but minimums would be established for dark green, red or orange, and bean and pea vegetable subgroups.
The new standards, which were published by the Agriculture Dept., come from recommendations created by the Institute of Medicine and the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/02/06/gvbf0206.htm.
