Expect school lunches to look a lot different from the standard mac and cheese and hot dogs after this summer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is launching its most sweeping reforms for the National School Lunch Program. In particular, ground beef will have to be ‘safe, wholesome and high quality” as well poultry, eggs and produce that feeds 31 million students every school day. One has to wonder, what were the standards prior to this? Did we not always vow to provide school children with the highest quality food possible?
When USAToday tried to answer that question in an investigation, the newspaper found that beef bought by the USDA intended for school lunch programs often does not get the same rigorous testing that fast-food chains undergo. And suppliers with a spotty record are not prevented from continuing to supply food for school lunches. So beginning this summer, expect testing for salmonella, E.coli 0157:H7 and other contaminants to be increased. The bacterial counts allowed will be lower. And the testing standards must meet those commercial buyers expect. Why should food for school children be any less than what a corporate fast-food establishment has come to expect?
Source Article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-02-15-schoollunch15_ST_N.htm
