U.S. regulators are relaxing school meal rules aimed at reining
in calories and portion sizes after some students, parents and
lawmakers complained that new stricter policies left many
children hungry. Under the adjustment, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture said it would suspend daily and weekly maximum
amounts for grains and meat or meat alternatives. That means
school districts this year can serve larger portions of those
items without penalty. USDA officials said late Friday they were
loosening the regulations after some schools found it difficult
to buy alternative portion sizes of such foods from suppliers.
Some also said they had inventory to use up that does not meet
the new guidelines. "We understand that this is a year of
transition," Cynthia Long, head of USDA's Child Nutrition
Division, wrote in a memo on Friday to state and regional school
food officials. The School Nutrition Association, which
represents school food directors, said the change gives them
more time to design healthier menus that w