Trump administration cuts Obama-era school nutrition standards

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced late last week that it would roll back Obama-era school lunch regulations that set standards for grains, flavored milks and sodium content in the foods on cafeteria menus. The changes will impact schools that qualify for some level of federal reimbursement, The New York Times reports.The former nutrition standards said grain-rich items, like pizza or bread, had to be at least 50% whole grains, but under the Trump rules, only half of what's served in cafeterias have to be "whole grain-rich." The Trump administration also said schools can serve low-fat milk options rather than just non-fat milk, and schools have to continue working to lower sodium content in cafeteria items — just not as much as they had to before.In its explanation, the Trump administration said schools were having a hard time finding options that not only met the Obama-era requirements, but were also appealing to students. All of the changes will take effect by July.Schools across the country have students who aren't eating enough because their families don't have enough money, and this lack of food affects their well-being outside the classroom as well as their academic performance. Students can't concentrate on what they're supposed to be learning when they don't have enough fuel in their bodies to keep them awake and alert. And studies have shown that giving free lunches to kids who need it not only helps promote better health, but also reduces out-of-school suspensions, which goes hand-in-hand with better behavior.