New Cafeteria Standards

The US Department of Agriculture has introduced new national nutritional standards for school lunches, marking the first radical overhaul of school lunches in more than 15 years. The new guidelines, announced on Wednesday by first lady Michelle Obama and Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack, will require that cafeteria meals feature more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and less sodium and fat. Entire meals will have a limited calorie range—a first for USDA cafeteria guidelines—and all dairy products will be low- or non-fat. “When we send our kids to school, we expect that they won’t be eating the kind of fatty, salty, sugary foods that we try to keep them from eating at home,” Michelle Obama said in a statement.