School nutrition trending: United States Department of Agriculture announces proposed changes in school meal rules and child nutrition advocates speak out against the USDA

This month, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced proposed changes in school meal rules affecting fruit and vegetable requirements, meal patterns and administrative reviews. The proposed changes would increase flexibility in school lunch “vegetable subgroups” requirements, allow schools to adjust fruit servings at breakfast, increase meal pattern options for different age/grade groups and expand the availability of school lunch entrées as a la carte offerings. 

The release of the proposed rule came just days after SNA’s Montague told a group of child nutrition professionals not to expect Child Nutrition Reauthorization this year, saying that Congress had too many other priorities to take up the bill.

Food Management's Editor-in-Chief gathered responses from child nutrition advocates about the proposed changes to show how the community was taking to the USDA's thoughts. When the announcement was made, many were critical of the proposed changes, saying they would allow schools to serve less healthy meals to kids. Advocates in both the child nutrition field as well as the restaurant and government world weighed in.

See what else was trending in K-12 this month.