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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
School meal directors got a break this month when Congress approved a multi-agency appropriations package that maintains current limits on sodium in school meals and gives schools the option to serve low-fat flavored milk.
The Food and Drug Administration has been testing an array of ideas for new front-of-package nutrition labeling requirements that are due out this summer intending to reduce diet-related diseases.
The Agriculture Department is proposing to restrict the sugar content of school meals, while tightening sodium limits, increasing whole grains requirements and possibly letting schools continue serving low-fat flavored milk.
Top Food and Drug Administration officials pledged Wednesday to work toward reducing diet-related diseases by taking steps that will give consumers more information on what they’re eating and pressure companies to reformulate products, actions that are key elements of the White House’s new national food strategy.
The Food and Drug Administration is proposing some major rule changes for foods that can be marketed as “healthy," potentially allowing new products to qualify while eliminating others. But few foods are labeled as "healthy" are current rules, and experts say it's not clear how much consumers will care about the proposed new labeling system either.
Senate Republicans are joining school food service directors in pushing for relief from federal nutrition standards as Congress reauthorizes school meal programs.
The Department of Agriculture is taking steps to wrap up school lunch changes pursued by Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue that would change milk, whole grain requirements.
The Agriculture Department will have to try again if it still wants to eliminate targets in school meals to lower sodium and provide 100% whole grain foods, a federal judge decided April 13.
