Schools say too much food is beingwasted

In this Sept. 11, 2012 photo, students are given healthy choices on a lunch line at Draper Middle School in Rotterdam,

New York. After just one year, some schools across the nation are dropping out of what was touted as a healthier federal

lunch program, complaining that so many students refused the meals that their cafeterias were losing money. AP Photo/

Hans Pennink

WASHINGTON — “We have some of the healthiest trash cans in the nation,” Brad Kramer

said. Nothing frustrates him more than watching students dump fruits and vegetables in

the cafeteria trash.

Kramer is in charge of a Kansas City, Missouri, school district's food services. He isn't just

upset about wasteful students. He is also frustrated about the 2012 national standards for

healthy school lunches. He says the rules are costly and hard to follow, so he wants

Congress to change them.

Kids Have To Want To Eat It

Kramer wants to serve healthy food, but he also knows that it does not do any good unless

the students will actually eat it. Ronda McCullick feels the same way.

McCullick is in charge of another school district's food services in Kansas City. She wants

to go back to having the flexibility to make decisions at a local level.

By McClatchy Washington Bureau, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.09.15

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McCullick and Kramer belong to the School Nutrition Association. Their group represents

school cafeteria workers and the companies that supply their food and equipment.

About 1,000 of the group's members went to Washington, D.C., this week. They asked

lawmakers to change the school lunch standards. They want them to get rid of a rule that

says students have to eat fruit or vegetables as part of every meal. They also want to make

restrictions on salt and whole grains more realistic.

This food fight has been going on since the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act was passed in

2010. Now, the timeline for that law is coming to an end and the law must be renewed.

What's It All About?

“It’s not about government standards,” Pat Roberts, a Republican Senator from Kansas,

said in a speech to the association’s members. “It’s about taking the opportunity to make

government programs work for the people and not the other way around.”

Roberts recently took over the Senate Agriculture Committee, which is responsible for the

lunch program. Helping school districts is now more important to him than ever before.

Roberts has been visiting schools in Kansas to sample meals. He has also been talking to

students and administrators to learn about what makes their programs different. With so

many school districts in the United States, Roberts says it’s clear that a one-size-fits-all

approach will not work.

Roberts and other Republican lawmakers have a tough challenger in the battle over school

lunches. They are going up against First Lady Michelle Obama. The rules they are trying to

change are part of Obama's “Let’s Move” campaign. Let's Move is all about keeping

children from becoming overweight.

Stacking The Lunch Trays

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says the new rules are working. The agency

says that a new study from the University of Connecticut proves its point. The study shows

that children have been eating more healthfully at school and tossing out less food since

the rules took effect.

The study found that 66 percent of students added fruit to their lunch trays last year. Only

54 percent added fruit in 2012. Students also ate 20 percent more vegetables and 13

percent more of their lunch entrees.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says that the new rules for schools were based on

what doctors said would be good for kids. He doesn't want Congress to make changes to

what the doctors suggested. "(Going) back to less-healthy meals now would not be in the

best interest of our children,” Vilsack said.

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Schools Want More Realistic Rules

Republican Senator John Hoeven represents North Dakota. He has plans to introduce a

new bill. The bill has been endorsed by the School Nutrition Association. It would make

some of the rules easier to follow, but still ensures that schools provide healthy meals.

Hoeven says it will help schools “serve meals that are not only well-balanced but also

appealing to students."

USDA spokesman Cullen Schwarz said the department has shown flexibility in the timing

and implementation of the school lunch rules. He also said the USDA has done so without

the need for legislation.

Schwarz is concerned about the new bill. He does not want to let politicians have more say

over the standards than doctors do. He worries about reaching "the point where these

standards are no longer meaningful and helping kids to be healthy."

Roberts has concerns as well. In his speech, Roberts said he wanted this to be a calm,

productive debate, but he knows everyone has strong feelings about this issue and

sometimes things can get out of hand. “We don’t need that," Roberts said. "We need

solutions.”

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Quiz

1 Read the section "Kids Have To Want To Eat It." Kramer feels that serving only healthy food

won't help because:

(A) it requires a lot of money

(B) it is a strict rule to follow

(C) students do not eat it

(D) students prefer junk food

2 Select the paragraph "What's It All About?" that shows how, according to Pat Roberts, policies

regarding school lunches should be formed.

3 Which of the following al;ternate titles would BEST replace the title of the section "Schools Want

More Realistic Rules" WITHOUT losing its meaning?

(A) "Schools Want Rules To Be Clearer"

(B) "Schools Want Rules To Be Flexible"

(C) "Schools Want Rules That Help Students"

(D) "Schools Want Rules That Help Cafeteria Workers"

4 What is the meaning of the following sentence from the section "Schools Want More Realistic

Rules"?

The bill has been endorsed by the School Nutrition Association.

(A) The bill has been supported by the School Nutrition Association.

(B) The bill has been examined by the School Nutrition Association.

(C) The bill has been checked by the School Nutrition Association.

(D) The bill has been created by the School Nutrition Association.

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Answer Key

1 Read the section "Kids Have To Want To Eat It." Kramer feels that serving only healthy food

won't help because:

(A) it requires a lot of money

(B) it is a strict rule to follow

(C) students do not eat it

(D) students prefer junk food

2 Select the paragraph "What's It All About?" that shows how, according to Pat Roberts, policies

regarding school lunches should be formed.

Paragraph 7:

“It’s not about government standards,” Pat Roberts, a Republican Senator from

Kansas, said in a speech to the association’s members. “It’s about taking the

opportunity to make government programs work for the people and not the

other way around.”

3 Which of the following al;ternate titles would BEST replace the title of the section "Schools Want

More Realistic Rules" WITHOUT losing its meaning?

(A) "Schools Want Rules To Be Clearer"

(B) "Schools Want Rules To Be Flexible"

(C) "Schools Want Rules That Help Students"

(D) "Schools Want Rules That Help Cafeteria Workers"

4 What is the meaning of the following sentence from the section "Schools Want More Realistic

Rules"?

The bill has been endorsed by the School Nutrition Association.

(A) The bill has been supported by the School Nutrition Association.

(B) The bill has been examined by the School Nutrition Association.

(C) The bill has been checked by the School Nutrition Association.

(D) The bill has been created by the School Nutrition Association.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5