Michelle Obama’s school lunch program is cooked.
Well, at least parts of it are, according to the Washington Post. The $1.1 trillion budget deal expected to pass Congress relaxes the regulations on school lunch menus that resulted from the first lady’s healthy eating efforts.
In particular, the budget deal eases restrictions on grains and sodium that have forced schools to serve lunches that look like this:
“The secretary shall allow States to grant an exemption from the whole grain requirements that took effect on or after July 1, 2014, and the States shall establish a process for evaluating and responding, in a reasonable amount of time, to requests for an exemption,” reads the bill.
The legislation does require that school officials “demonstrate hardship” in fulfilling the whole grain requirements in order to obtain the exemption and return to obeying the requirements set before the first lady’s program went into effect.
Moreover, the bill also rolls back the sodium reduction in “meals, foods, and snacks sold in schools … until the latest scientific research establishes the reduction is beneficial for children.”
Though Michelle Obama might be frowning, young Americans are likely rejoicing. Students have been taking to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction with the first lady’s championed school nutrition standards by posting photos of their gross-looking lunches and tagging them with the hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama.
Of course, the White House isn’t admitting to defeat in the lunch fight.
“In light of the efforts to roll back school nutrition standards, we consider the minor adjustments to the standards a real win for kids and parents,” said retiring White House chef Sam Kass, who is also the “Let’s Move” campaign executive director. “The Administration will continue to support districts across the country in every way we can to achieve the goal of providing good, nutritious food for students.”
