USDA has announced additional flexibility to assess the compliance with the standards of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, citing the operational challenges relating to the limits placed on grains, meat and meat alternatives.
Schools with multiple menu offerings, the limited availability of varying serving sizes from suppliers, and the variation in maximum limits by age or grade level were all contributing factors to the challenges faced by many school food authorities in meeting the new standards. As a result, schools were limiting popular menu items, such as hamburgers and chicken breasts.
For the rest of the 2012-13 school year, schools will not have to limit the meat, meat alternatives or grains that they serve students.
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