Grand Rapids, Michigan (WOOD) —For the first time in 10 years, the USDA has updated school nutrition standards.
The new guidelines include changes to the standards for sodium, whole grains and milk. USDA explained the details of the change on February 4th release:
- Milk: Schools and child care providers servicing participants over the age of 6 may offer flavored low-fat (1%) milk in addition to non-fat flavored milk and non-fat or low-fat non-flavored milk. I have.
- Whole Grains: At least 80% of the grains served weekly at school and breakfast must be rich in whole grains.When
- Sodium: Weekly sodium limits for school meals and breakfast will remain at current levels at SY2022-2023. Only for school meals, the SY 2023-2024 limit is reduced by 10%.This is consistent with the recently released U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidance It sets voluntary sodium reduction targets for processed, packaged and cooked foods in the United States
Other nutritional standards, such as fruit and vegetable requirements, remain the same.
Shanthi Appelo is a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the health and wellness of the Blue Cross Blue Shield in Michigan. She states that this change is a major step in the right direction to ensure that children get the nutrition they need.
Watch the player video above for a complete conversation with Shanthi Appelo.
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