There has been a lot of conversations about the latest nutrition standards in school foodservice. Congress is trying to make changes to the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids act of 2010, and First Lady Michelle Obama is ready to fit until the bitter end.
The School Nutrition Association that represents numerous school districts across the nation claims that a lot of schools need more time to implement the new standards so they are asking Congress for more time and flexibility.
First Lady, Michelle Obama is saying that according to the data from the USDA that 90% of schools have already made a successful transition, so why make any changes? It seems logical to believe that 90% seems like the majority of school districts have implemented the new standards.
I can say that I personally conducted tests in schools when we first heard about the new standards. We did not wait for them to finalize them and set the guidelines for implementation. The results were promising because the students consumed the products and menus were adjusted to meet the new standards.
Could the requirements or implementation for the remaining 10% be training? State or federal support? What challenges did you face in meeting the new standards and what additional challenges could be preventing that last 10% from meeting the new standards?