Minnesota School Nutrition Professionals Call on Congress to Support Flexibility for School Meal Programs

MINNEAPOLIS, June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Minnesota School Nutrition Association (MSNA) is urging Minnesota's Members of Congress to support the House Fiscal Year 2015 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, scheduled for a vote this week, and provide schools the flexibility they need to plan healthy meals that students will eat. MSNA represents 2900 school nutrition professionals who know firsthand how new federal regulations have impacted school menus, student acceptance of healthier meals and school district budgets.

Minnesota SNA members support the majority of the new standards, but are seeking additional flexibility to help students adjust to changes in their school cafeterias, to increase the number of children who benefit from healthy school meals, and to preserve the long-term sustainability of school meal programs. 

According to the US Department of Agriculture, under the new standards, school lunch participation in Minnesota has decreased by 22,363 students per day.  This decrease significantly reduces revenue for school meal programs already struggling with the higher cost of preparing meals that meet the new standards. 

"Minnesota's school nutrition professionals support and are already meeting many of the new nutrition standards for school meals," said Brenda Braulick, MSNA President, "But a few of these regulations from Washington go too far, actually driving students away from healthy school meals, which impacts school district budgets. We are simply asking for a little flexibility to help schools plan healthy menus that appeal to students."

MSNA is asking Members of Congress to support the House Fiscal Year 2015 Agriculture Appropriation Bill, which gives school meal programs, operating at a net loss for six months or more, the chance to apply for a temporary, one-year waiver as they work to meet the new requirements.

MSNA is also asking that USDA or Congress act to:

• Retain the current requirement that 50% of grains offered with school meals be whole grain rich, rather than further increasing the requirement to 100%.
• Retain Target 1 sodium reductions, and suspend implementation of further sodium targets unless and until scientific research supports such reductions for children.
• Retain requirements to offer a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, but eliminate the mandate that students must take a fruit or vegetable with every single meal.
• Allow any food item permitted to be served as part of a reimbursable meal to be sold at any time on a la carte lines.

Click here for details on these requests.

SOURCE Minnesota School Nutrition Association