The Democratic leader on the Senate Agriculture Committee won’t compromise on school-food reforms as the price of an agreement within the committee on re-authorization of child-nutrition programs, said The Hagstrom Report. Sen. Debbie Stabenow told reporters there are disagreements among committee members that could thwart hopes of writing a bipartisan bill. If there is no agreement on a new five-year bill, Stabenow said the reforms created through the 2010 nutrition bill would remain in place. In Stabenow’s view, the Agriculture Committee should expand the program that provides meals during the summer for school children rather than weaken meal standard.
Staff workers for the House and Senate committees that oversee child nutrition held discussions in August about developing a bipartisan House-Senate bill, said Stabenow, but the there was no accord. There are differlng views over the record of the 2010 reforms, which called on schools to serve more grains, low-fat dairy, fruits and vegetables and less salt, fat and sugar. Republican lawmakers added riders to government funding bills that forced a pause in moves toward more whole grains and less salt.