Montgomery Co. schools ‘excited’ for new USDA nutritional guidance, but said more federal funding is needed to implement changes

Sugar and salt will be cut from school lunches served in schools across the country. This comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued new nutritional guidelines for schools, and Montgomery County Public Schools says it welcomes the updated rules.

“We are excited about the direction these new rules will bring to school nutrition programs,” said Elizabeth Leach, director of MCPS Food and Nutrition Services.

Some of the proposed changes include reducing the amount of sugar in meals to ensure that added sugars do not exceed 10% of total weekly calories in school meals by 2027. There is.

Leach said the school system has already met the requirements for milk and cereal and will soon meet similar requirements for yogurt.

“We actually started tasting reduced sugar yogurt this school year. Of course, we didn’t tell the students it was low in sugar, we just asked them if they liked it or didn’t like it,” she said.

The yogurt is scheduled to appear on menus in earnest from fall.

On sodium, the new rules call for a nearly 30% reduction in the amount of salt in meals, but schools will be able to make changes in stages.

“We want to sample recipes with students and see if our new recipes are exciting for them,” Leach said.

In schools, 45% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and for many children in that category, school meals are the most nutritious meal, making it easier for children to eat. It’s important to see if you like it, she said. important.

After all, if the food served is not tasty, it will be wasted.

“We want to feed their bellies, not the trash can,” Leach said.

Another new rule allowing schools to serve grain or protein or a mix of the two for breakfast is among the changes Leach welcomes.

“Currently, we are unable to offer yogurt smoothies for breakfast, which are very popular with children, so we would not be able to fully meet the requirements,” she says.

She said the school has already sampled several types of smoothies, including blueberry, strawberry and peach.

Leach said current federal reimbursement rates also need to be increased because more from-scratch cooking increases the cost of meals.

“$4.35 for lunch and $2.28 for breakfast is not enough for school districts to purchase quality food, provide culinary training and competitive wages to staff, and purchase and maintain kitchen equipment. No,” Leach said.