A food service management company that operates in 600 U.S. school districts is offering them, in the words of its vice president for nutrition, “instructions” on how to get a waiver from the USDA requirement to serve whole-grain-rich bread, pasta, and baked goods to their students, said The Lunch Tray. The guidance is part of package of materials on the “whole-grain waiver strategy” by Chartwell K-12, which serves 2 million school meals a day. A Chartwell spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue proposed last November to make the waivers available for years to come. They were offered by the Obama administration on an interim basis as schools adapted to reforms that called for more grains, dairy, fruit, and vegetables in meals and less salt, fat, and sugar. Under the Obama rules, schools must use whole-grain-rich products — defined as at least 50 percent whole grains — in their meals. The waivers cut the requirement in half. Bettina Elias Siegel, who writes The Lunch Tray, said, “Currently only 15 percent of districts have sought the waiver.”
In its documents, Chartwell “seems to embrace the extension of grain waivers with some enthusiasm,” said the blog. As “successes,” the documents say 54 Chartwell districts were granted waivers in the 2016-17 school year. “The company also offers guidance and assistance to districts for obtaining waivers, such as providing completed forms and the talking points” to use with school officials. Chartwell’s vice president for nutrition, Margie Saidel, told The Lunch Tray that “instructions” was a better word than “strategy” for its approach. “There’s no obligation to change your menu at all,” she said, but a waiver provides breathing room if a school has trouble finding a whole-grain-rich product.
“Saidel said the company is focusing on helping districts get waivers for four products especially popular with kids: pizza crust, biscuits, tortillas, and pasta,” said The Lunch Tray. The documents also list French toast sticks, waffles, bagels, and hoagie buns as waiver items. Saidel declined to say how many of its districts have requested the waiver.