Speaking before the Center of American Progress yesterday, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack dismissed criticism that the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act placed too large a financial burden on school districts. He called it “incredible” that states had failed to utilize more than $28 million in federal funds set aside specifically to help implement the new school-meal standards mandated in the legislation when it was adopted in 2010.
Congress is expected to debate reauthorization of the act this fall. The act required schools to, among other things, increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains in the meals they served. Critics, including the School Nutrition Association, have argued that the new standards placed an undue financial burden on schools, and also that students weren’t eating the healthier meals, leading to additional food waste.
Vilsack, while acknowledging that some schools may have struggled with the new standards, was having none of it. “Bottom line is the standards are being embraced,” he said. “They are making a difference, and if given an opportunity to do so over a long period of time, it will result in healthier youngsters, better achievement at school, a stronger economy, and more young people to draw from in terms of the public service, military, and other opportunities that national service could provide.”