First lady, Vilsack to announce new school meal rule
February 25, 2014 | 12:05 AM
First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will announce today the finalization of the rule on school foods and other wellness issues under the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, senior administration officials said Monday in a background briefing that was embargoed until midnight.
The “school wellness policy rule,” as one official called it, will cover several issues. The Agriculture Department announced new standards for foods sold in schools outside the federal school meals program, and this rule will cover the advertising and marketing of those foods, allow schools in which 40 percent of children get free and reduced-price meals to get reimbursements for universal school breakfast programs, and require each school to establish a wellness program that includes nutrition education and physical activity.
The announcement will be made at the White House as part of the celebration of the fourth anniversary of the first lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity. The proposed rule will go on display in the Federal Register today and there will be a 60-day comment period after its official publication.
There has already been “a transformational change” in school meals, with 90 percent of the schools already certified as meeting the new meal standards and receiving the six-cents-per meal reimbursement for which they are eligible, one official said.
He said participation in the school meal programs has gone up under the new nutrition standards, which required that sugar and fat be reduced and that whole grains, low-fat meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables be included.
Under the new rule to be announced today, advertising and marketing of so-called competitive foods will have to emphasize that a food has something in it that is “good for kids” as well as not having too much sugar or fat, the official said.
The marketing and advertising rules will affect posters, cups, the fronts of vending machines, menu boards in cafeterias and scoreboards in gymnasiums, although schools will not be required to “rebuild infrastructure” such as scoreboards on which soft drink companies may have placed their logos.
The schools will be encouraged to replace the scoreboards, however, and apparently eventually will have to remove the advertising of items that do not meet the new nutritional standards.
“We are encouraging what is doable in the short term,” said one official.
“It is important to stress that this is a proposed rule and we are going to be taking comments,” one official added. “This is still intended to be a local process,” said another.
The pilot project on universal school breakfast has shown such an improvement that USDA will now roll out that program nationwide for schools in which 40 percent or more of students qualify for reduced price or free school meals, the officials said.
The universal school breakfast program will not require any further action or funding from Congress, the official added, because that was covered under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Schools will receive reimbursement from the federal government for part of the cost, but will have to pay for part of it themselves.
“The community eligibility provision was bought and paid for” in the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, the official said, adding that the nationwide expansion of the universal school breakfast program will begin with the 2014-15 school year.
Asked about the recent issue of schools that have children with unpaid school meal bills, the official said the issue is “different” but that offering the free breakfast may help resolve the problem in some cases.
The “school wellness policy rule,” as one official called it, will cover several issues. The Agriculture Department announced new standards for foods sold in schools outside the federal school meals program, and this rule will cover the advertising and marketing of those foods, allow schools in which 40 percent of children get free and reduced-price meals to get reimbursements for universal school breakfast programs, and require each school to establish a wellness program that includes nutrition education and physical activity.
The announcement will be made at the White House as part of the celebration of the fourth anniversary of the first lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity. The proposed rule will go on display in the Federal Register today and there will be a 60-day comment period after its official publication.
There has already been “a transformational change” in school meals, with 90 percent of the schools already certified as meeting the new meal standards and receiving the six-cents-per meal reimbursement for which they are eligible, one official said.
He said participation in the school meal programs has gone up under the new nutrition standards, which required that sugar and fat be reduced and that whole grains, low-fat meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables be included.
Under the new rule to be announced today, advertising and marketing of so-called competitive foods will have to emphasize that a food has something in it that is “good for kids” as well as not having too much sugar or fat, the official said.
The marketing and advertising rules will affect posters, cups, the fronts of vending machines, menu boards in cafeterias and scoreboards in gymnasiums, although schools will not be required to “rebuild infrastructure” such as scoreboards on which soft drink companies may have placed their logos.
The schools will be encouraged to replace the scoreboards, however, and apparently eventually will have to remove the advertising of items that do not meet the new nutritional standards.
“We are encouraging what is doable in the short term,” said one official.
“It is important to stress that this is a proposed rule and we are going to be taking comments,” one official added. “This is still intended to be a local process,” said another.
The pilot project on universal school breakfast has shown such an improvement that USDA will now roll out that program nationwide for schools in which 40 percent or more of students qualify for reduced price or free school meals, the officials said.
The universal school breakfast program will not require any further action or funding from Congress, the official added, because that was covered under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Schools will receive reimbursement from the federal government for part of the cost, but will have to pay for part of it themselves.
“The community eligibility provision was bought and paid for” in the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, the official said, adding that the nationwide expansion of the universal school breakfast program will begin with the 2014-15 school year.
Asked about the recent issue of schools that have children with unpaid school meal bills, the official said the issue is “different” but that offering the free breakfast may help resolve the problem in some cases.
