The School Nutrition Association turned down a request by Sam Kass, White House nutrition policy advisor, to speak at this week’s national conference, attended by 6,500 people working in the school food industry, says Politico. SNA chief executive Patricia Montague says Kass, in a message passed through USDA, asked to speak at the conference “to rally the troops” on rules requiring healthier school meals. Politico quotes Montague as saying, “We didn’t feel [our members] wanted to hear the rallying call. We felt it was best he not come.”
Kass was part of a meeting last Friday at USDA on a proposal by House Republicans to give some schools a one-year waiver from meeting the nutrition standards. The White House has threatened a veto. Fifteen health, nutrition and school organizations attended. Participants said the discussion was solutions-oriented and that USDA suggested it could explore ways to help schools comply with the new standards.