USDA Making Strides in National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs; Implementing Meal Standards and Proposing Professional Standards for School Nutrition Staff

A recent article on FarmFutures.com detailed new developments in meal standards and professional staff standards that are being implemented by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The USDA has proposed changes to two of its core programs related to the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA).  The HHFKA’s main goal is to improve child nutrition in the US.  It authorizes funding and sets policy for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.  The USDA is proposing new professional standards for school nutrition staff in order to achieve consistent, quality meal standards in these programs that are designed to provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.

Janey Thornton, Deputy Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services helps to clarify the goal of the new standards,

"These proposed standards will ensure that all school nutrition professionals meet the same national requirements as they prepare healthy meals served in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs."

In addition to requiring annual training for consistency among school nutrition professionals, the proposed rule will create minimum hiring standards for nutrition professionals and directors of state agencies; and will provide consistent, national standards for nutrition professionals and staff alike.

In order to ensure that the professionals are able to meet the required standards once the proposed requirements are in place, the USDA has worked directly with both school nutrition professionals and has presented information at the School Nutrition Association’s Annual National Conferences for two years running.  

This post was prepared by William Mitchell College of Law student Julie Rea.