U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service announced new flexibility for school districts working to meet whole grain requirements for school meals.
Currently, school meals require whole-grain pastas, but schools reported challenges of serving whole-grain products on the market. Some available products, such as lasagna and elbow noodles, are difficult to use in larger-scale cooking operations of school cafeterias, according to the USDA.
Beginning next school year, whole grain-rich foods will be required in school meal programs, meaning they must consist of 50 percent whole grain foods.
USDA is working with food manufacturers to expand the selection of whole grain-rich pastas for school meals and has set a two-year flexibility for the new school meal program, recognizing that the industry may need time to develop a range of acceptable whole grain-rich pastas. To take advantage of this two-year flexibility, school districts must obtain approval from their state agency.
A whole grain-rich guide can be found at http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/WholeGrainResource.pdf.