Trump Administration Puts Biscuits Back on the School Lunch Menu

Refined grains, low-fat chocolate milk are once again OK
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 6, 2018 4:44 PM CST
Trump Administration Puts Biscuits Back on the School Lunch Menu
In this Tuesday, April 29, 2014 photo, fruit and vegetables are served during lunch at the Patrick Henry Elementary School in Alexandria, Va.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The national school lunch program is making room on menus again for noodles, biscuits, tortillas, and other foods made mostly of refined grains. The Trump administration is scaling back contested school lunch standards implemented under the Obama administration including one that required only whole grains be served, the AP reports. The US Department of Agriculture said Thursday only half the grains served will need to be whole grains, a change it said will do away with the current bureaucracy of requiring schools to obtain special waivers to serve select items made with refined grains. Low-fat chocolate milk will also be allowed again and a goal for limiting sodium will be scrapped. Previously, only fat-free milk could be flavored, although that rule had also been temporarily waived.

The School Nutrition Association, which represents local cafeteria operators and companies like Domino's Pizza, Kellogg, and PepsiCo, had called for the scale back of the whole grain-only requirement, saying it was too difficult for some districts to meet. Diane Pratt-Heavner, a spokeswoman for the association, said whole-grain bread and buns generally aren't a problem. But she said students complained about other items, in many cases because of cultural or regional preferences. Whole-grain biscuits and grits are also a challenge in the US South, she said, while tortillas are a challenge in the Southwest. Not everyone welcomed the relaxed rules. The American Heart Association encouraged schools to "stay the course" and commit to meeting the stricter standards that started going into effect in 2012. The Center for Science in the Public Interest also said the decision to roll back the whole-grain requirement makes no sense because most schools were already in compliance. (This school cook's choice of ingredient cost him his job.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X