Fresh fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products got an A+.Salt and trans fats got detention.The U.S. Department of Agricultures long-awaited rules to revamp school meals were announced Wednesday, the first major change to school meals in 15 years.First Lady Michelle Obama and Tom Vilsack, USDA secretary, said the new rules should help combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes while eating lunch at Parklawn Elementary School in Alexandria, Va.As parents, we try to prepare decent meals, limit how much junk food our kids eat, and ensure they have a reasonably balanced diet, said Obama, who has pushed for more nutritional school meals since her husband took office three years ago. And when were 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 proposed rules were announced a year ago in December. Since then many schools, realizing change was coming, began preparations, working with vendors and finding new recipes.As a result, many Kansas City-area schools say theyll be ready when the rules go into effect July 1.Andre Riley, Kansas City Public Schools spokesman, said his district is ahead of the curve. It also is putting healthier foods in vending machines, also part of the new rules.New requirements include:■ Doubling the daily requirement for fruit and vegetables■ Increasing the offerings of whole grain-rich foods. ■ Reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.■ Limiting calories based on the age of children to ensure they receive proper portions of food.■ Allowing only no-fat or low-fat dairy products.The nutrition standards will be phased in over three years. The new rules are absolutely vital and absolutely reasonable, said Mary Wolarik, a dietitian who recently ate lunch at schools in Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission school districts. If you offer the kids choices and as long as every choice is healthy, they will make a healthy choice.President Barack Obama sought the changes because a third of U.S. children are overweight or obese, contributing to $3 billion in annual medical costs, according to administration.Costs will be offset in part by a reimbursement increase of 6 cents per meal the first such increase in 30 years, said Kevin Concannon, the U.S. agriculture undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. Higher costs for a la carte items sold in cafeterias also will boost school revenue, he said.Local governments initially balked at the cost and companies, including ConAgra Foods Inc., maker of Hunts tomato products, lobbied to block its limits on potatoes and tomato paste in pizza.In November, Congress voted to strip two proposals from USDAs proposed rules that would have reduced starchy vegetables potatoes for example to two servings a week and prohibited schools from counting tomato paste on a slice of pizza as a vegetable. Under the rules announced Wednesday, the tomato paste counts as a vegetable and starchy vegetables are not limited.But still the changes in meals are dramatic.In the Kansas City area, school districts anticipating the changes already have begun implementing more nutritious lunches.Indeed, a reporter for The Kansas City Star along with dietitians visited six elementary schools in Johnson County over the past several weeks. All the schools were implementing changes, some more than others.Congress decision not to limit potatoes wont affect many of the area school districts, including Hickman Mills School District.We dont do a ton of starchy vegetables anyway so it is not a big deal to us, said Grennan Sims, district dietitian and nutrition education coordinator. But funding will not be easy, said Jayci Dalton, nutritionist for Spring Hill School District, who already is well into serving healthy meals. The only concerns I have are the limited funding that we have to work with every day, Dalton said. But you know we are going to have to make it work. If it is in the best interest of our kids, we are going to do it.Details of some of the changes:■ Vegetables.Schools will have to offer all vegetable types including dark greens, red and orange vegetables, beans and peas at lunch during the week. The requirement is ¾ to 1 cup of vegetables plus ½ to 1 cup of fruit everyday. Currently the requirement is ½ to ¾ cup of fruit and vegetables combined.■ Grains.At least half the grains must be whole-grain rich beginning July 1. By July 2014, all grains must be whole-grain rich. In terms of portions, beginning this year schools are required to serve 8 to 10 ounces of grains a week to elementary students with a minimum daily requirement of 1 ounce. High school students must receive 10 to 12 ounces weekly with a daily minimum of 2 ounces daily.■ Salt.Sodium reductions will be more gradual, occurring over the next 10 years. Erin Laurie, an area dietitian, said the sodium reduction is pretty drastic. But she said there are other choices to gin up flavor by using herbs and spices.■ Calories.Schools will begin counting calories and matching them to age groups. Minimum calorie requirements for some age groups will be reduced by as much as 225 calories per lunch, according to the rule.Overall it is a really, really great accomplishment, said Jessica Donze Black, director of the Kids Safe and Healthful Food Project with PEW Trusts. This is going to give parents the confidence that when their kids go to school, eat the school lunch, no matter where they go in the country, that meal is going to meet the highest nutrition standards according to modern science.

KansasCity.com

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Many districts have already adjusted to new school lunch rules

By KAREN DILLON

The Kansas City Star

Would you eat this school lunch? We did — and it was good

More News

Fresh fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products got an A+.

Salt and trans fats got detention.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s long-awaited rules to revamp school meals were announced Wednesday, the first major change to school meals in 15 years.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Tom Vilsack, USDA secretary, said the new rules should help combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes while eating lunch at Parklawn Elementary School in Alexandria, Va.

“As parents, we try to prepare decent meals, limit how much junk food our kids eat, and ensure they have a reasonably balanced diet,” said Obama, who has pushed for more nutritional school meals since her husband took office three years ago. “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 proposed rules were announced a year ago in December. Since then many schools, realizing change was coming, began preparations, working with vendors and finding new recipes.

As a result, many Kansas City-area schools say they’ll be ready when the rules go into effect July 1.

Andre Riley, Kansas City Public Schools spokesman, said his district is “ahead of the curve.”

It also is putting healthier foods in vending machines, also part of the new rules.

New requirements include:

■ Doubling the daily requirement for fruit and vegetables

■ Increasing the offerings of whole grain-rich foods.

■ Reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.

■ Limiting calories based on the age of children to ensure they receive proper portions of food.

■ Allowing only no-fat or low-fat dairy products.

The nutrition standards will be phased in over three years.

“The new rules are absolutely vital and absolutely reasonable,” said Mary Wolarik, a dietitian who recently ate lunch at schools in Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission school districts. “If you offer the kids choices and as long as every choice is healthy, they will make a healthy choice.”

President Barack Obama sought the changes because a third of U.S. children are overweight or obese, contributing to $3 billion in annual medical costs, according to administration.

Costs will be offset in part by a reimbursement increase of 6 cents per meal — the first such increase in 30 years, said Kevin Concannon, the U.S. agriculture undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. Higher costs for a la carte items sold in cafeterias also will boost school revenue, he said.

Local governments initially balked at the cost and companies, including ConAgra Foods Inc., maker of Hunt’s tomato products, lobbied to block its limits on potatoes and tomato paste in pizza.

In November, Congress voted to strip two proposals from USDA’s proposed rules that would have reduced starchy vegetables — potatoes for example — to two servings a week and prohibited schools from counting tomato paste on a slice of pizza as a vegetable. Under the rules announced Wednesday, the tomato paste counts as a vegetable and starchy vegetables are not limited.

But still the changes in meals are dramatic.

In the Kansas City area, school districts anticipating the changes already have begun implementing more nutritious lunches.

Indeed, a reporter for The Kansas City Star along with dietitians visited six elementary schools in Johnson County over the past several weeks. All the schools were implementing changes, some more than others.

Congress’ decision not to limit potatoes won’t affect many of the area school districts, including Hickman Mills School District.

“We don’t do a ton of starchy vegetables anyway so it is not a big deal to us,” said Grennan Sims, district dietitian and nutrition education coordinator.

But funding will not be easy, said Jayci Dalton, nutritionist for Spring Hill School District, who already is well into serving healthy meals.

“The only concerns I have are the limited funding that we have to work with every day,” Dalton said. “But you know we are going to have to make it work. If it is in the best interest of our kids, we are going to do it.”

Details of some of the changes:

■ Vegetables.

Schools will have to offer all vegetable types — including dark greens, red and orange vegetables, beans and peas — at lunch during the week. The requirement is ¾ to 1 cup of vegetables plus ½ to 1 cup of fruit everyday. Currently the requirement is ½ to ¾ cup of fruit and vegetables combined.

■ Grains.

At least half the grains must be whole-grain rich beginning July 1. By July 2014, all grains must be whole-grain rich.

In terms of portions, beginning this year schools are required to serve 8 to 10 ounces of grains a week to elementary students with a minimum daily requirement of 1 ounce. High school students must receive 10 to 12 ounces weekly with a daily minimum of 2 ounces daily.

■ Salt.

Sodium reductions will be more gradual, occurring over the next 10 years. Erin Laurie, an area dietitian, said the sodium reduction is “pretty drastic.” But she said there are other choices to gin up flavor by using herbs and spices.

■ Calories.

Schools will begin counting calories and matching them to age groups. Minimum calorie requirements for some age groups will be reduced by as much as 225 calories per lunch, according to the rule.

“Overall it is a really, really great accomplishment,” said Jessica Donze Black, director of the Kids Safe and Healthful Food Project with PEW Trusts. “This is going to give parents the confidence that when their kids go to school, eat the school lunch, no matter where they go in the country, that meal is going to meet the highest nutrition standards according to modern science.”