GOP renews push to relax school-lunch rules

Congressional Republicans are renewing their fight to roll back first lady Michelle Obama’s prized nutrition standards for school meal programs.

As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Healthy Hunger-free Kids Act of 2010, set to expire in September, lawmakers are pushing for more relaxed requirements when it comes to the servings of whole grains, sodium content and fruits and vegetables.

Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) recalled how he was served a batch of mashed potatoes complying with the nutrition rules during a recent visit to a school in his district.

“They were god-awful,” he said, during a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing on federal child nutrition programs Tuesday. “Then they made me a batch of mashed potatoes under the regulations they have to get to in the next 10 years and they were just terrible.”

With 99,000 schools currently trying to comply with the standards, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Rokita it’s possible to find an entrée he wouldn’t like.

“That’s why we’ve focused on ways and strategies to help school districts do a better job,” he said.

Those strategies, Vilsack said, include bringing chefs in to help schools make more creative meals, providing grants to help schools buy new kitchen equipment and pairing struggling schools with succeeding schools in mentorship programs.

“Mr. Secretary, I’ve found creative people there,” Rokita said. “These weren’t deep fry cooks, OK.”

After explaining that Indiana schools are already substituting ingredients to try and make the food taste better, Rokita let out an exasperated laugh.

“Maybe the chefs could come to our schools in Indiana,” he said.

About 95 percent of schools are reportedly meeting the standards, but GOP lawmakers backed by the School Nutrition Association (SNA) said the provisions have led to an increase in food waste and a dramatic decline in student participation over the last three years.

Committee chairman Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) said schools are serving 1.4 million fewer children every day, and the Agriculture Department estimates that participating school districts will be forced to absorb $3.2 billion in additional compliance costs over a five-year period.

“These regulations have created an environment where students are not getting the nourishment they need, and food and taxpayer dollars wind up in the trashcan,” he said.