Changing the guidelines – Manistee News Advocate

MANISTEE — When the Trump administration announced last week it is proposing a rollback of some guidelines for school meals many people became concerned that the nutritional value would be declining with the new standards.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the changes are needed to give schools more flexibility in their menus, but also reducing the waste while still providing nutritious and appetizing meals. The proposal, which has yet to be approved, would allow schools to cut the amount of certain vegetables served at lunch and legumes offered as meat alternative to be counted as part of the vegetable requirement. Potatoes could also be served as a vegetable.

Proponents also say it would give schools the flexibility to reduce waste while providing nutritious meals.

Opponents to the change claim it would open the door for children to choose pizza, burgers, French fries and other foods high in calories, saturated fat or sodium in place of the balanced meals every day.

These changes would impact many of the requirements that were put in place with the 2010 Health Hunger-Free Kids Act that set nutrition standards for school meals requiring schools to offer fruits and vegetables and more whole grain foods to limit calories, fat and sodium.

The current rollback proposal follows one adopted in 2018 that reduced the whole grains that had to be served and allowed low fat chocolate milk. Prior to that change, only fat free milk was allowed.

However, local school food service directors said they don’t see the proposed changes making any difference in the quality of the food they “offer” the more than 2,500 students in the Manistee County area. They did say changes may occur in certain areas of what the children “have” to take on their tray.

Several years ago changes were made requiring more servings of fruits and vegetables, which was part of an effort to reduce childhood obesity. What many school districts complained about was just because children were required to put it on their tray didn’t necessarily mean they were going to eat it. That in turn led to larger waste when students would sometimes throw away the entire serving instead of eating it.

Manistee Area Public Schools food service director Keri Carlson said most of the push back they get in that area now comes from the older students.

“What we have found often is that when we make students take it that doesn’t mean they are eating it,” said Carlson. “We actually have a lot of kids here that when they get older they are very reluctant to take some of those items. We have to force them to take it. They tell us right out they are not going to eat it, but in order for us to claim it to be reimbursed they have to take it on their tray.”

What Carlson said is sad is those items inevitably end up in the trash can.

“So we have seen an increase in trash and I believe that was some of the (USDA) director’s concerns when all those changes were rolled out,” said Carlson.

Tim Klenow, who heads up the food service departments at Onerkama Consolidated, Kaleva Norman Dickson and Bear Lake Schools, said the issue is getting a great deal of media attention right now, but he doesn’t see the new proposal making that big of an impact on anything he will be offering in the three districts he oversees. They still will offer healthy foods, fruits, vegetables and a salad bar.

“Not that much is changing,” he said. “The big thing is that the changes would create this big loophole to offer more potatoes like fries, pizza and burgers during the week. We are still committed to do what we do now in providing the variety and healthy meals. Not much is going to change on our end.”

Klenow said it is a complicated issue because they are different strategies in place to make sure kids get a healthy diet. He pointed out that it isn’t just whats on the plate, but how it is prepared that makes a difference as well.

“Really what they are trying to do with these proposed changes is give the schools more flexibility in what we serve, so we can appeal to their preferences and reduce waste,” said Klenow

Carlson agreed the proposed changes will not alter their menu.

“I don’t think it is going to change our menu as we are still going to offer fresh fruits, vegetables and juice,” said Carlson. “As far as whole grain changes, we still offer all whole grain buns and our pizza crust are 51 percent or higher in whole grains. When we changed to that there was some complaining, but we haven’t heard anything since that as they still are eating it. In fruits and vegetables we always offer a variety and we will still daily offer a salad bar and lots of fruits and vegetables that we do daily as well as a hot vegetable. When you offer that many choices the incentive is still there to try it without all that waste.”

The proposal would also give schools greater flexibility in offering entrees for a la carte purchase, and that is where the concerns over more pizza and burgers enter the picture for those opposing the proposed changes. The proposal would also reduce the amount of red and orange vegetables schools must offer at lunch and at breakfast fruit servings would go from a cup to a half of cup.

Klenow said there are some schools that will probably use the proposed changes to give more calories, but that isn’t in the pattern they currently follow at his districts.