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Public Schools Heading to More Healthful Lunches

CBN

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Next year, public school students will be seeing more nutritious lunches in the cafeteria.

Pasta and other grain products will be required to be whole-grain rich or more than half whole grain, including pizza crust, tortillas, and even grits.

Some school officials say the menu changes are expensive and difficult to prepare. They're concerned because many of the more healthful options, like fresh fruits and vegetables and whole-grain tortillas, are ending up in the trash.

School nutrition directors, like Becky Domokos-Bays of Alexandria City Public Schools, say the standards were put in place too quickly.

"The regulations are so prescriptive, so it's difficult to manage not only the nutrition side of your businesses but the business side of your business," Domokos-Bays said.

New government regulations require lower sodium and more nutritional vending machine snacks.

Still, some credit the U.S. Department of Agriculture with showing some flexibility in enforcing the regulations. In 2012, the department scrapped maximums on proteins and grains after students complained they were hungry.

USDA's Janey Thornton said problems will lessen as the food industry creates more healthful products.

"I'll bet that five or seven years down the road, we'll see kids eating healthy food and we'll see acceptance," she said.

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