Congress should overhaul the school meals programs to allow some local flexibility in serving healthy food, said Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts, who plans to hold down the pricetag – no new spending without an offset. “Our budgetary constraints are real,” Roberts said during the committee’s first hearing on reauthorization of child-nutrition programs costing $22 billion a year. The chairman said he intended to have a new law in place before the Sept. 30 expiration of the current programs, a fairly tight schedule to move legislation through both chambers of Congress and to the White House, with time out for the summer recess.
“Working together, I am confident we can find a way to preserve the nutritional quality of school meals without a one-size-fits-all approach that prevents some local flexibility,” said Roberts. The USDA’s reports of a 95-percent compliance rate with menu reforms enacted in 2010 are belied, he said, by accounts of schools “that are currently struggling and I understand that at least 46 states applied for the whole grains waiver.” As part of a funding bill in late 2014, Congress told the USDA to grant waivers when requested by states from a 2014 requirement to serve only whole-grain-rich pasta and breads. It also suspended a rule, set to take effect in summer 2017, that would reduce further the salt content of meals.
Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a lead author of the 2010 child-nutrition law, said the obesity epidemic among childen – one-third are overweight or obese – “requires a serious commitment on our part to continue moving forward with the nutrition policies we put in place five years ago.” The summer meals program for school-age children and the Women, Infants and Children food program should be strengthened, she said. WIC costs $6.6 billion a year.
The 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids law requires schools to serve more fruit, vegetables and whole grains and less salt, fat and sugar. Some studies say schoolchildren are eating healthier meals as a result. The School Nutrition Association says schools need more federal money to help cover the costs of the meals and the rules need to be relaxed in several key areas. As an example, SNA says schools should be allowed to decide if students should be required to take fruit or vegetables as part of their meal. “SNA supports offering a greater variety and quantity” but not if the food is wasted, it says in a position paper.
Stabenow pointed to studies that children are eating more fruit and vegetables as a result of the items being a standard part of school meals. “And as I have said many times, it seems to me that our children are worth continuing the requirement that school meals include a half cup of fruits or vegetables as part of our commitment to their health and success,” she said.
To read the testimony of witnesses or to watch a video of the hearing, click here.