Schools Seek Slower Enforcement Of Healthful Lunch Mandates

Schools trying to provide healthful school lunches are feeling the blowback from disgruntled students who, for example, mostly turn up their noses at the nutritious whole grain pastas that are available. The problem is, beginning in the fall, U.S. schools are required to provide whole grain rolls, biscuits, pizza crust, tortillas and even grits in the cafeterias. So schools are asking Congress and the USDA to rescind or slow down some of the requirements because, they say, there just aren’t enough  products on the market that kids like. The School Nutrition Association has asked lawmakers and regulators to require only that half of foods be whole grain-rich. They also want the 2017 sodium requirements postponed and the fruit and vegetable requirement eliminated.