House Agriculture Approps

House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., asked Agriculture Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Service Kevin Concannon today whether the Agriculture Department’s rules on the content of school meals are not “overly prescriptive,” but Concannon said the standards are “achievable.”

Aderholt told Concannon that some school food service directors have told him that USDA officials seem to be telling them they are not working hard enough to implement the healthier school meal rules under the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, or that they don’t know how to do their jobs.

Aderholt then asked if the issue is that there is a “lack of effort” in the schools or if the rules are “overly prescriptive.”

“We know it takes effort,” Concannon said. “We have not punished a single school, we haven’t said [any] are on our hit list [but asked] ‘how can we help you through training and assistance?’”

Many of the schools having trouble are smaller rural schools where one person is “the chief cook and bottle washer” and also orders food, he said.

Concannon said the rules are motivated by the fact that “we have hungry children across the U.S. and we have an obesity problem.”

He noted that 93 percent of schools are in compliance, but acknowledged to Aderholt that he has not visited many of the schools that are out of compliance or that have dropped out of the school meals program.

Noting that he has visited mostly schools that have a lot of children receiving and free and reduced price lunch, Concannon said he would be willing to go to the districts of Appropriations subcommittee members and talk to school food service directors who are having trouble or who have dropped out of the program.

Concannon also noted that the participation rate in school lunch started dropping in 2008, well before the new rules went into effect. He added that the participation rate has climbed in schools that have made lunch free under community eligibility rules, and that the number of children eating school breakfast has climbed.

To suggestions that it would be better to reduce the requirements on whole grains rather than grant waivers to schools that are having trouble buying whole grain foods, Concannon said that reducing that requirement would be “unfortunate … waivers are a way of supporting and tailoring the ability of programs to respond to people.”

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said she wanted to “commend” Concannon for his answers.

Pingree also noted that the school meals programs are following “exactly what is happening in the marketplace.” Fast-foods chains are looking for healthier foods and McDonald’s is “suffering” because it has not been able to add healthy foods to its menu, she said.

Aderholt commented that “good people can disagree on this issue,” and that the difference is that McDonald’s has a choice about what food it serves.

“What frustrates people is the heavy hand of government,” Aderholt said, adding that he tries to find healthy food in stores, “but I have a choice.”

Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., the subcommittee ranking member, noted that “half the committee is talking about how do we improve our sticks and others how do we offer more carrots.”

Aderholt in an opening statement noted that he is a co-sponsor with Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., of a bill to give schools more flexibility.

“The child nutrition programs expire this fall, and I hope the administration will come to the table and work with the Republican Congress to find reasonable solutions to the challenges schools are facing,” Aderholt said in that statement.

Senate Agriculture Approps

At a Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee hearing today, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., noted that he has introduced a bill that would limit sodium reductions and whole-grains requirements, and asked for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s help with that bill.

“We have been willing to provide flexibility where it is appropriate,” Vilsack replied. “We are concerned about taking a step back.”

Hoeven said Congress wants to give “certainty” to the schools, and also asked, “Is there a point person in your shop we should be talking to on this issue?”

“Me,” Vilsack replied.