EVANSVILLE — For the first time in 15 years, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture has made major changes to menu requirements for
school meals. Those changes go into effect as students return to
classrooms this month. The new school year marks the
implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act championed
by first lady Michelle Obama, with the aim of raising a
healthier generation of children. Shenae Rowe, food and
nutrition director for the Warrick County School Corp., is
urging parents to encourage their children to experiment with
foods that now will be offered as a part of school lunches. Rowe
said it's important to expose kids to new options that will help
build a healthier lifestyle for their future. "I was up in the
lunchroom with some ladies, and they said, 'Ah, you're serving
beet sticks, gross,'" Rowe said. "If you're an adult and you act
like that, the kids are never going to take it ... and we don't
want to see the food in the trash can, we want to see the kids
eat it." The new nutrition standar