Read the new standards for milk, whole grains and sodium during school meals.
The New York City school cafeteria will switch to a vegan menu on Friday as a new initiative by city officials and the Biden administration to provide critical nutrition to millions of children.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an update to school nutrition standards for milk, whole grains, and sodium during school meals.
“Nutrition school meals provide American children with the foundation for a successful and healthy life,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Bilsack said in a statement. “We commend the school’s heroic efforts to continue to provide children with the most nutritious diet possible through this pandemic challenge.”
Among some new policy changes, schools and nurseries need to provide low-fat or fat-free, unscented milk and increase the amount of nutritious whole grains. In addition, by the 2023-2024 school year, the weekly sodium limit for school breakfast and lunch will be reduced by 10%.
In New York City, public school canteens, which are already running out of meat twice a week, are striving to create healthier eating options for their students. New York public schools will switch to a vegan menu on Friday as part of Mayor Eric Adams’ new policy.
This week, the initiative calls Adams a way to improve “the quality of life of thousands of New York City students.”
“Because plant-based diets are delicious and nutritious, we used to seek vegetarian and vegan choices at school,” Adams said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to see all students have access to health foods that prevent debilitating health.”
Under USDA guidelines, schools have time before the next school year begins to move from current pandemic activities to a more nutritious diet that will be carried out throughout the 2023-2024 school year. The government sector is currently planning to support schools with pandemic-related operational problems, and in the future, along with school lunch stakeholders, will develop long-term nutritional standards from the 2024-2025 academic year. He said he plans to establish it.
“The standards we set for the next two grades will help schools move into a future based on the tremendous progress they have made in improving the nutrition of school meals over the last decade,” Vilsack said in a statement. It is stated in.
The Child Nutrition Program’s milk, whole grain, and sodium migration criteria include several requirements starting this fall and throughout the year.
Schools and child care providers servicing participants over the age of 6 may offer flavored low-fat milk in addition to non-fat flavored milk and non-fat or low-fat flavored milk. At least 80% of the grains served weekly at school and breakfast must be whole grains.
Weekly sodium limits for school meals and breakfast will remain at current levels this year. Next year’s lunch limit will be reduced by 10%. This is in line with the recently released guidance from the US Food and Drug Administration to establish voluntary sodium reduction targets for processed, packaged and cooked foods in the United States.
All other nutritional standards, including fruit and vegetable requirements, will remain the same as those previously updated in 2012.
USDA needs to update school nutrition standards based on the recommendations of the latest American dietary guidelines compiled by USDA and the United States Department of Agriculture.
The ministry says it will seek input from school and industry leaders to help inform the process.
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