brought to you by republicans: USDA shifts Obama-era school lunch guidelines

[spanone]

i have no words for these fuckers.

(CNN)The Trump administration is scaling back school meal nutritional requirements set by the Obama White House in 2012.

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue signed a proclamation Monday (PDF) that relaxes standards for the upcoming school year in three key areas: whole grains, salt and milk.
Specifically, states will be able to grant exemptions to schools experiencing hardship in meeting the 100% whole-grain-rich standard although, even with the changes, at least half of the grains offered in schools must be whole grains. Schools will no longer need to hit the strictest target (PDF) for lowering sodium in foods offered to students. And meal programs will be able to serve students 1% flavored milk instead of fat-free flavored milk.

The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program are federally assisted meal programs that provide nutritionally balanced lunches for children each school day. Both programs are administered by the Department of Agriculture, though local schools set the prices for meals, offering a sliding scale to students based on family income, as required by federal regulations.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/02/health/school-lunch-changes/index.html

[unblock]

1. are we back to counting ketchup as a serving of vegetables?

[Ilsa]

2. These changes are not all bad.

For starters, the low sodium levels meant that cheeses used in lunches didn't melt well. Nutritionists and cafeteria cooks wanted a little more leeway on some of these items.

I've tried serving whole grain pasta. It's like eating shredded cardboard. But pasta is the only non-whole grain food we indulge in. If the kids get whole grain breads, occasional regular pasta, I don't think it'll be a big deal. And I'd rather see a kid drink 1% chocolate milk than more fruit juices.

The school dieticians and nutritionists lobbied hard for these changes.