Students will soon find fewer hot dogs and more apples and
broccoli on their school lunch menus thanks to new federal
nutrition guidelines announced Wednesday. The new meal
requirements will raise standards for the first time in more
than 15 years and will help improve the health and nutrition of
nearly 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs
every school day. “When we send our kids to school, we expect
that they won’t be eating the kind of fatty, salty, sugary foods
that we try to keep them from eating at home,” said First Lady
Michelle Obama in a news release announcing the improvements.
“We want the food they get at school to be the same kind of food
we would serve at our own kitchen tables.” The first lady
unveiled the changes with U.S. Department of Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack while visiting with students at an
Alexandria, Va., elementary school. According to the secretary’s
post on the USDA Blog, the new guidelines will ensure students
are offered both fruits and vegetables every