Flashback 2010: Healthy School Lunches

When President Barack Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 into law, it was the first time in 30 years that nutrition standards had been improved for the school meals program.

First Lady Michelle Obama and her Let's Move! campaign to end childhood obesity were strong advocates of getting it passed. Under the law, which had bipartisan support, all food sold in schools, including vending machines, must comply with national nutrition standards that incorporate more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less sodium and saturated fats, among other new guidelines.

While many hailed the $4.5 billion law as a major step toward improving childhood health and nutrition and reducing childhood hunger and obesity, it has not been without its detractors. In the five years since it was passed, stories surfaced that some school districts were struggling to implement the new standards and that food and money were being wasted because kids were throwing out the mandatory fruits and vegetables.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act originated in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs signed into law during the Truman and Johnson administrations.

As it came up for renewal this fall under the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization, critics called for more flexibility and for the standards to be relaxed on whole grains and sodium levels.

U. S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he is "deeply concerned" about attempts to roll back progress that has been made. The USDA said 95 percent of schools have met the updated nutrition standards and cited several national studies that concluded children are eating healthier food at school because of the law. The National Education Association strongly supports the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

By Wendy Solomon