Committee Democrats to USDA: Do Not Undermine Child Nutrition Standards
WASHINGTON – Today, Committee Democrats sent a comment letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to rescind parts of a proposed rule that reverse science-based nutrition standards for child nutrition programs.
The Department’s proposal, which was published January 23, 2020, would cut back on the required daily servings of fruits and required variety of vegetables, increase access to sugary desserts, and create a major loophole allowing schools to serve unhealthy meals, like cheeseburgers, multiple times during each day of the week and still be compliant with federal nutrition standards.
More than 30 million children participate in the National School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program each year.
“It is the responsibility of the Department to ensure that the foods children are served in school are nutritious and in alignment with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans as prescribed by law,” the Members wrote. “The components of the proposed rule described in this letter represent a failure of the Department to meet this responsibility. We therefore urge the Department to rescind the components of the proposed rule discussed in this letter.”
Last week, a federal court in Maryland struck down a separate attempt by the Trump administration to weaken school nutrition standards.
To read the full text of the comment letter, click here.
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