Which statement best captures the author's point of view in "School Lunch Standards Miss the Mark"?
A. Some fruits and vegetables are better than others to include in balanced diets.
B. Producers of frozen foods collaboratively make decisions that benefit children.
C. The government should not get involved in determining school lunch nutrition.
D. Frozen food makers are costing local school districts and families too much money.
School Lunch Standards Miss the Mark
by Kraig R. Naasz
1 Frozen food makers are proud of our partnership with school nutritionists. Together, we serve nearly 43 million federally subsidized meals every school day to children across America. We also support efforts to combat childhood obesity and improve childhood nutrition, such as the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.
2 This law requires that school meal standards reflect the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In keeping with the dietary guidelines, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed new standards call on schools to double fruit and vegetable servings. We enthusiastically endorse that recommendation.
3 Other aspects of USDA’s proposed standards miss the mark and would saddle cash-strapped schools with $6.8 billion in new costs.
4 USDA wants to restrict servings of “starchy vegetables”—corn, peas, potatoes and lima beans—to just one cup per week. This proposal contradicts the dietary guidelines, which encourage Americans to eat white potatoes and other vegetables high in potassium and fiber.
5 USDA also wants to change the nutrient classification of tomato paste, which is used to make pasta and pizza sauces. Here again, the dietary guidelines encourage consumption of tomato paste because it is rich in potassium, fiber and vitamins A and C. Since it takes six whole tomatoes to make two tablespoons of tomato paste, an eighth of a cup of tomato paste is given the same credit as a half-cup of other fruits and vegetables.
6 Thousands of school nutritionists urged USDA to revise its proposed standards, and many also petitioned Congress. The bipartisan action taken by Congress to correct the starchy vegetable and tomato paste provisions will improve childhood nutrition by allowing schools to serve a wide variety of healthy foods that kids enjoy eating.
7 For millions of children, school breakfast and lunches offer the only calorie-controlled and nutritious meals they will eat in a day. Thanks to the efforts of frozen food makers and school nutritionists, we can chart a balanced approach for reducing childhood obesity and improving nutrition that does not burden school districts, and the families they serve, with massive new costs.
