DEADLINE TO COMMENT HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO APRIL 22ND. 

USDA recently proposed significant rollbacks to nutrition standards for school meals. If enacted, the proposed school meal rule, “Simplifying Meal Service and Monitoring Requirements in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs,” would:

• Undermine current scientifically based school food nutrition standards and progress made towards ensuring that students have access to healthy, balanced meals.
• Reduce incentives for students to make healthy choices in the cafeteria by allowing for more pizza, hamburgers, and french fries to be sold a la carte.
• Reduce the variety of nutritious vegetables available at lunch.
• Potentially result in less fruit available for children eating school breakfast.

These changes come just a little over a year after other highly contested changes allowing schools to serve food with more sodium, flavored milks, and fewer whole grains to students. 

The Tisch Food Center and Equity Advocates adapted the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) model comment for New York City advocates, nutrition educators, and food nonprofits to use.  Please customize and submit this NYC model comment to USDA. As a long time leader on school nutrition, New York City has an important role to play in this discussion. If your organization is interested in joining with NANA to send a letter on the issue to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, please sign on to this group letter by Friday, March 20.

Thanks to our city’s food standards and the Department of Education’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services’ dedication to provide foods that exceed federal standards, public school students in New York City eat meals with less salt and more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. We have proven that serving nutritious, culturally-responsive food to students works well for children and schools. Act before the comment deadline March 23rd to ensure that all our nation’s children continue to receive the nutritious food they need to remain healthy, active learners! 

Click here to submit your comment.