Michelle Obama’s new lunch rules for public schools is now taking sweet cereals and fried foods away from more than 3 million children in daycare centers across the country.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, a lunch service pushed by the first lady, issued a final rule Monday restricting daycare centers from serving fried foods, handing toddlers more than one juice a day, and even adding honey to a child’s yogurt. The regulation is part of a 2010 anti-obesity initiative under Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, which focuses on getting children to “build healthy habits.”
“This final rule updates the meal pattern requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program to better align them with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010,” the act explains. “This rule requires centers and day care homes participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program to serve more whole grains and a greater variety of vegetables and fruit, and reduces the amount of added sugars and solid fats in meals.”
The new law, which will go into effect in 60 days, requires the USDA to “promote health and wellness in child care settings via guidance and technical assistance that focuses on nutrition, physical activity, and limiting electronic media use.”
The law encourages mothers to breastfeed their children and bans flavored milk for children aged two to five. It also requires unflavored whole milk to be served to children one year old, unless the child cannot have whole milk due to a special medical or dietary issue. The government will grant a one-month transition period for children who turn 2 and will have to switch from unflavored whole milk to unflavored fat-free or low-fat milk.
Additionally, FNS recognizes that switching immediately from whole milk to low-fat or fat-free milk when a child turns 2 may be challenging. Therefore, as recommended by commenters, this final rule allows for a one-month transition period to switch from whole milk to low-fat or fat-free milk when a child turns 2 years old. Accordingly, this final rule implements the proposal to require that unflavored whole milk be served to children 1 year of age and it codifies it under 7 CFR 226.20(a)(1)(i).
Children and adult day care centers will now only be allowed to serve juice once a day, and the amount of sugar in their cereal will also be restricted by law to “no more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce.”
According to the Free Beacon, that restriction leaves out numerous cereals such as Lucky Charms, Trix, Cocoa Puffs, Cap’n Crunch, and Frosted Flakes. Some cereals that will be allowed instead are Cheerios, Puffed Rice, Fiber One, and All-Bran.
Meat and “meat alternatives” such as tofu are allowed according to the law if they are served “in place of the entire grains requirement at breakfast a maximum of three times per week.” Fried foods are banned:
This final rule prohibits frying as a way a preparing food on-site. Frying is defined as deep-fat frying (i.e. cooking by submerging food in hot oil or other fat). This definition of frying was recommended by commenters and continues to allow providers to sauté, pan-fry, and stir-fry. Cooking with some oil, such as olive oil or vegetable oil, is part of a healthy eating pattern because oils contribute essential fatty acids and vitamin E. As requested by commenters, FNS will provide guidance and technical assistance to promote healthy cooking techniques, such as sautéing, baking, or broiling.
Fish may be served “if it is pan-fried or prepared another way, as long as it is not cooked by submerging the bread into hot oil or other fat.”
The original version of the law would have banned cheese, cottage cheese, and “cheese food, or spread.” But the revised version will allow cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt to be served as long as it contains less than 23 grams of sugar for every 6 ounces.
Daycare centers will be allowed to break food rules for “special occasions” but the law advises that they “use discretion.”
[The Food and Nutrition Service] FNS recognizes that there may be times when a provider would like to serve foods or beverages that are not reimbursable, such as on a child’s birthday or another special occasion. Providers still have the flexibility to serve non-reimbursable foods and beverages of their choosing. However, FNS encourages providers to use their discretion when serving non-reimbursable foods and beverages, which may be higher in added sugar, solid fats, and sodium, to ensure children and adult participants’ nutritional needs are met.
Guidelines preferred by the rule but not mandatory include serving lean-only meats, nuts, and legumes, and allowing a maximum of one meal with processed meat per week. Also preferred is low-fat and reduced-fat cheese in general, and limited honey or jam.
The regulation is under fire from many critics who say it is based on guidelines responsible for “steering millions of Americans away from whole milk” and increasing cost, increasing “record keeping burden, and the period of time afforded for implementation” of day care regulation. Another cost issue that was raised was “that some aspects of the proposed rule would limit food choices, increase costs, and prohibit serving nutritious foods that may be more palatable to children.”
Nevertheless, the government maintains that the law was “designed to be cost-neutral.”