By Judie Bizzozero, Senior Editor
The Obama Administration’s anti-obesity campaign suffered a legislative setback in November when the House-Senate agriculture appropriations conference committee passed a version of the fiscal year 2013 agriculture spending bill that nixed USDA’s proposed 1 cup per week limit on the amount of white potatoes and other starchy vegetables served to schoolchildren. The proposed bill, which stemmed from the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2011, also would have restricted schools’ use of tomato paste, and in essence, stripped pizza sauce of its status as a vegetable.
The 2013 agricultural appropriations conference agreement directs USDA not to limit servings of potatoes, corn, peas and lima beans in school meals, and to retain the current nutrient density classification for tomato paste.. Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn, can be counted as a vegetable and served every day.
USDA had lobbied to change the allowances in a new proposal that would make school lunches more nutritious. USDA wanted more fruits and vegetables, and to limit starchy vegetables to 1 cup per week.. USDA also wanted to delay limits on sodium and delay a requirement to boost whole grains.
While conferees cited the $6.8 million cost of the bill as a major reason to scrap it, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, contends lawmakers caved into pressure from the food industry “to keep pizza and French fries on school lunch trays every day of the week to the detriment of children's health."
Commenting on the agreement, Kraig R. Naasz, president and CEO, American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), McLean, VA, says: “AFFI commends Congress for its balanced approach to implementing new school meal standards. This agreement improves childhood nutrition by providing school nutritionists with the ability to serve healthy foods kids enjoy while avoiding burdening schools with massive new costs.
“Of particular interest to frozen food producers, this agreement ensures that nutrient-rich vegetables such as potatoes, corn and peas will remain part of a balanced, healthy diet in federally funded school meals. Also, this agreement recognizes the significant amounts of potassium, fiber and vitamins A and C provided by tomato paste and ensures students may continue to enjoy healthy meals such as pizza and pasta."
Lori Roman, president, The Salt Institute, Alexandria, VA, commended the agreement, saying the problem goes beyond school cafeterias to the cracked foundation of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, “which aim to put virtually all Americans, not just schoolchildren, on a diet so low in salt it has never been seen in any country.
“There are negative health consequences of a low-salt diet," Roman says. "For many children, a school lunch is their main meal of the day. They simply need salt, an essential nutrient recent medical studies associate with longer life, less heart disease and lower cholesterol, among other health benefits."
