February 16, 2023 — Among folks concerned with obesity, nutrition, and health for kids, the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) is a bright spot in the list of accomplishments on school nutrition. But until now, there was little evidence that this or anything else that fell under the umbrella of Let’s Move! had done much to move the needle […]
July 8, 2020 — If you work with the numbers long enough, you can get the answer you want. In Health Affairs, researchers claim to have found “a 47 percent reduction in obesity prevalence” due to the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. Now that’s impressive evidence for the value of school nutrition! Reducing childhood obesity prevalence is indeed an impressive […]
April 15, 2020 — With Sonny Perdue at the helm of the USDA, the Trump administration was ready for white bread and salt to make a comeback in school lunches. Back in 2018, the agency issued rules to roll back school nutrition standards for whole grains and sodium. But yesterday, a federal court nixed it. Apparently, the agency broke […]
December 9, 2018 — The plan to “make school lunches great again” is complete. The USDA has announced its final plans to lower the nutrition standards for school cafeterias. That means more sodium, more white bread, and more sugar-sweetened milk will be A-OK with the USDA. Completely Unsurprising Anyone who’s surprised by this needs to get out from under […]
May 2, 2017 — Is human nutrition now a political issue? It seems so. In his first week on the job, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue dined on chicken nuggets at a Virginia elementary school. Then he announced he is easing back on school nutrition standards. This administration will “make school meals great again,” he proclaimed. Careful Praise for Michelle Obama Perdue offered […]
July 31, 2016 — Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, soggy chicken tenders, fries, and pizza have not entirely disappeared from school cuisine, but they seem to be fading. Last week, the USDA announced four new rules intended to seal the legacy of better food at school under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. With these rules, snacks sold at school […]
June 23, 2015 — Stirring politics into obesity leads to some remarkable decisions. So it is in Texas where Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller saw a pressing political need to put deep fat fryers back into schools. Announcing the end of a statewide ban on deep fat fryers, Miller was spinning it out as a “fresh approach” to combat child obesity. […]
November 29, 2014 — Picky eaters are back in America’s school lunchrooms, turning up their noses at the healthy lunches being dished up under the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act and bringing junk from home. At least that’s what two recent studies are suggesting. One study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, found that students might […]
October 7, 2013 — New standards for healthier school lunches from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have whipped schools into a frenzy of innovation to meet them within their budget constraints. According to the USDA, 80% of schools are meeting the new standards already — standards that mean kids will be getting more whole grains, fresh fruits, and […]
October 4, 2013 — School lunch, at least as served in Birmingham between 2005 and 2009, might have been hazardous to your weight. A new study comparing home-schooled and traditionally-schooled children found significantly more obesity and unhealthy diets in the traditionally-schooled groups. The unhealthy diet differences were virtually all attributed to school lunches. The two groups had no differences […]
