WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that key parts of legislation he introduced last year with Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) will be included in a new, major Senate bill to reauthorize childhood nutrition programs. The provisions, which are part of the Healthy School Meals Flexibility Act, aim to improve nutrition standards and benefit students while easing some regulatory mandates on whole grains and sodium to alleviate the unintended challenges facing school meal programs.

The agreement to include the King-Hoeven provisions in the Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016, which is scheduled for committee consideration tomorrow, is the result of bipartisan negotiations led by Senator Hoeven in collaboration with the Senate Agriculture Committee, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the White House, and the non-profit School Nutrition Association.

“Although we’ve become all too used to it, politics doesn’t have to rule the day in Washington. Congress can – as we’ve done here – work together and with the Administration to advance sensible reforms that will make a real difference in the lives of the American people,” Senator King said. “This agreement, which was reached through good-faith negotiations, will help schools in Maine and around the country provide their students with the healthy meals they deserve without stretching already tight budgets to the breaking point. These types of steps may be small, but they’re important – and I look forward to continuing to work to ensure that every student in this country has access to a nutritious meal and that every school has the resources and the flexibility to provide one.”

Last year, Senators King and Hoeven introduced the bipartisan Healthy School Meals Flexibility Act in the Senate. The legislation sought to provide permanent flexibility for schools to comply with the USDA’s sodium and whole grain requirements under the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs. Today’s agreement incorporates key parts of the King-Hoven legislation, notably with regard to whole grains and sodium.

AGREEMENT SUMMARY:

• WHOLE GRAINS:  Under current regulations, all grains offered with school meals must be whole grain rich – down to the croutons on the fresh salad bar. This agreement requires 80 percent of the grains offered with school meals to be whole grain rich, allowing schools to offer occasional servings of enriched grain products like white rice or corn tortillas to which nutrients have been added after processing. The change provides flexibility for schools struggling with product availability and allows schools to make special exceptions to appeal to diverse student tastes and regional preferences for items like white tortillas or biscuits that don’t meet current standards.

• SODIUM:  Schools have made great strides in reducing sodium to meet Target 1 sodium levels, effective on July 1, 2014. However, school nutrition professionals have warned that later sodium targets will push many healthy options, like low-fat deli sandwiches, soups and salads off the menu, due in part to naturally occurring sodium in foods.

Under the agreement, schools gain two additional years to meet Target 2 limits, which will now take effect on July 1, 2019. Starting in 2019, a study will be conducted to determine whether scientific research supports the final sodium limits (effective July 1, 2022) and whether food companies are capable of preparing foods that meet those limits. The study will also evaluate the impact of Target 2 limits on student lunch participation, food cost, safety and food service operations.

• A LA CARTE:  Smart Snacks in School regulations (effective July 1, 2014) severely limited the items sold in cafeteria a la carte lines, prohibiting the sale of everything from low-fat, whole-grain pizza to salads or hummus with a side of whole grain pretzels. As a result, students have fewer healthy choices in the cafeteria and schools have collected less revenue to offset the higher cost of meeting new regulations. This agreement will establish a working group to examine the impact of a la carte restrictions and recommend to USDA a list of allowable nutrient-rich food exemptions for a la carte sale.

The Healthy School Meals Flexibility Act is endorsed by national school organizations including the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and the National School Boards Association.

###