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The Daily Signal
Trump’s
Agriculture Chief Tosses Out Michelle Obama’s School Lunch Rules
Rachel del Guidice
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue signed a proclamation to begin to
undo federal standards that the Obama administration placed on lunches
in public schools and return those decisions to local schools.
“This announcement is the result of years of feedback from students,
schools, and food service experts about the challenges they are facing
in meeting the final regulations for school meals,” Perdue said in
prepared remarks. “If kids aren’t eating the food, and it’s ending up
in the trash, they aren’t getting any nutrition—thus undermining the
intent of the program.”
The announcement “begins the process of restoring local control of
guidelines on whole grains, sodium, and milk,” a press release from the
Agriculture Department reads.
The standards, implemented in 2012, were crafted with the heavy
involvement of Michelle Obama, who made better nutrition and more
exercise for children part of her agenda as first lady. The standards
include directives on vastly reducing use of salt, calorie limits,
restrictions on meat, prohibitions on the contents of vending machines,
and increased servings of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables,
as the New York Post reported.
The standards implemented provisions of a law called the Healthy,
Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. President Barack Obama’s wife also
championed the law, Daren Bakst, a research fellow in agricultural
policy at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal in an email.
The 2010 law set calorie limits, stipulated portion sizes, and required
specific nutrients.
“Michelle [Obama] is a big proponent and defender of the standards,”
Bakst said.
Perdue, the former governor of Georgia, said in a tweet that the rules
have been counterproductive:
Perdue “took an important step to making school meals edible again,”
Bakst told The Daily Signal. “The federal school meal standards
implemented by the Obama administration have been a disaster, creating
massive plate waste and imposing high costs on schools.”
Perdue’s action, Bakst said, is significant for both parents and kids.
“This issue isn’t about nutrition,” Bakst said Monday, adding:
It’s about whether one believes the federal government should dictate
almost every aspect of what kids eat at schools, or if local
communities, with the input of parents, should make these decisions.
Today was certainly a big win for kids across the country, but it was
also a big win for those who respect the opinions of parents more than
those of federal bureaucrats.
Patricia Montague, CEO of the School Nutrition Association, a national
nonprofit with more than 57,000 members that provides meals to students
across the nation, praised Perdue’s leadership.
“I commend Secretary Perdue for taking this important step,” Montague
said. “We have been wanting flexibility so that schools can serve meals
that are both nutritious and palatable. We don’t want kids wasting
their meals by throwing them away. Some of our schools are actually
using that food waste as compost. That shouldn’t be happening.”
Read this and other articles at The Daily Signal
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