Pop quiz: who has heard of the
?
If you have kids in public schools, you probably pass the test. The bill, which won bipartisan support in 2010, set new parameters for federally funded school meals. Implemented in phases since 2012, it requires that schools meet strict limits for fats, sugars, calories, and sodium. It also changed rules around fruit and vegetable offerings in cafeterias, and, in 2014, rolled out a new guideline requiring that all grains served in schools meet "whole grain-rich" criteria.
At face value, those nutritional requirements may sound pretty unobjectionable. According to a recent poll by the W.K. Kellog Foundation, 86 percent of Americans support the tightened federal restrictions around school nutrition.
But a food fight is brewing. Some school nutrition professionals say that healthy lunches are getting — well, too healthy. Sticking points range from taste to waste to cost. The School Nutrition Association, which represents 55,000 school nutrition professionals nationwide, is now lobbying for more flexibility around certain restrictions.
Congress has until Sept. 30 to reauthorize the bill. In the meantime, we're checking in with school nutrition workers in Oregon to hear how the debate's unfolding locally.
GUESTS:
- Heidi Dupuis: Manager of school nutrition programs for the Oregon Department of Education
- Garrett Berdan: Chef, dietitian, and school nutrition specialist
- Gitta Grether-Sweeney: Director of nutrition services for Portland Public Schools
- Kristy Anderson: Government relations manager for the American Heart Association
