Michelle Obama and Tom Vilsack announced new nutrition standards
for school meals yesterday, to what seems to be near-universal
applause (the potato growers are still miffed, according to the
New York Times). The new standards are best understood in
comparison to current standards (see chart). They call for: -
More fruits and vegetables - A greater range of vegetables - A
requirement for whole grains - All milk to be 1% or less - Only
non-fat milk to be permitted to be flavored This may not sound
like much. But given what it has taken USDA to get to this
point, the new standards must be seen as a major step forward.
The new one looks so much better. Now it’s up to schools to make
the new standards work, make the foods taste yummy, and get kids
to be willing to try new foods. To review the history: This all
started when the USDA asked the Institute of Medicine to design
nutrition standards that would: - Increase the amount and
variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains - Set a minimum
and maximum level of