Wisconsin schools may be ahead of the curve when it comes to suggested school meal nutrition guidelines. Mary Jo Tuckwell, senior consultant with inTEAM Associates, helped with research that was completed for the USDA. Tuckwell also served nearly two decades as the Director of Food and Nutrition for the Eau Claire Area School District. She says badger state schools may find they’ve already been implementing many of the report’s dietary guidelines such as Eau Claire schools switching to 1-percent milk in 1991.
Other suggestions include students consuming more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, as well as progressively decreasing sodium meaning high schoolers consume less than their younger counterparts.
These standards may find their way into policy, as Congress will soon begin debating childhood nutrition issues. The National School Lunch program is up for reauthorization.