New USDA Healthy School Meal Standards Fight Obesity, Improve Student Outcomes

Press Release

Led by Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) and Congressman George Miller (D-CA), 36 House members today sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack lauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for new healthier school meal rules. The rule requires minimum amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grains in school meals while limiting fats and calories. Polis co-chairs the New Democrat Coalition Education Task Force. Miller is the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

"Children can't focus and achieve in school on a poor diet any more than a Rockies player can perform at a high level while eating nothing but junk food," said Polis. "The new school meals rule will ensure that children are eating better foods at school and are therefore more prepared to learn and are less likely to suffer from obesity and related illnesses. Healthier school meals are a smart investment in our children and will save us billions in health costs down the road."

"We know that school meals are a nutritional safety net for millions of families, especially in this economy," Miller added. "We also know that students who lack access to healthy meals have a harder time focusing in school. This important step forward by USDA will help ensure our schools continue to do their part in the fight to keep our kids healthy."

"USDA is doing an excellent job of updating the school meal standards, which are currently 15 years out-of-date. The standards are not only grounded in science but are achievable, as has been shown by thousands of schools," said Margo G. Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "We applaud the members of Congress who are helping USDA bring such changes to all schools, as opposed to others who are wasting taxpayer dollars by working to require USDA to start the process over."

The proposed standards would significantly increase fruit and vegetables at lunch (one cup per day), require that they be served daily, require minimum amounts of dark green vegetables and place limits on starchy vegetables. Whole grains, lean meats, lower fat milk, age-specific calorie limits, sodium limits and trans fat prohibitions also comprise the proposed standards. By requiring strong nutritional standards, the letter notes that the rule will help ensure that the government's $12 billion annual investment in school meals is spent wisely.

The standards will reduce health care costs stemming from health problems partly caused by low-quality school food, including the estimated $344 billion national cost of obesity costs through 2018. Approximately one in three children is overweight or obese, and rising rates of Type II diabetes among children, along with other health problems such as hypertension, have some origin in the poor nutritional quality of food offered at public schools.

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