School Lunch Program Revamp

Last Thursday, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that major changes would be made to the National School Lunch Program, including new standards for testing protocols and food safety. The USDA also said it will reevaluate its school lunch suppliers more diligently and drop companies with inconsistent safety records. The new regulatory measures were prompted by a recent USA Today investigation revealing that meat served in fast-food restaurants is more rigorously tested for pathogens than meat served in school lunches. While the new regulations are intended to safeguard schoolchildren from food-borne pathogens, a safer measure would be to institute Meatless Mondays into the government’s school lunch program.