On January 25, 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, announced the standards for school meals that will result in healthier meals for kids across the nation. The new requirements will raise standards for the first time in more than fifteen years and will improve the health and nutrition of the 88,000 students in Wyoming and nearly 32 million students nationwide who participate in school meal programs every school day. The new nutrition standards are a key component of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was championed by the First Lady as part of her Let’s Move! Campaign and signed into law by President Obama.

Current Standards:

Ø  Calories from fat<30%

Ø  Calories from Saturated fat<10%

Ø  Calories from trans fat, 0

Ø  Sodium<1250mg

Ø  Minimum Calories k-6=664, 7-12=825

Ø  No maximum limitations other than sodium and fats

New Requirements for Lunch:

The new requirements present challenges for the district including:

Ø  How will students get full?

Ø  How to have meals that are pleasing but meet the standards.

Ø  Cost-Fresh products are more expensive. Menus will require more labor (if cooking from scratch is necessary to meet requirements)

The district has formed a Health & Wellness Committee due to new mandates set forth in this Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 by the USDA.  This group has been charged with reviewing, revising, and adding the new requirements to the current Health and Wellness Policy.  The Wellness Plan must consist of five components.  The components are listed below:

·        Nutrition Education

·        Physical Activity

·        Nutrition Standards for All Foods Available on Each School Campus during the School Day

·        Other School-Based Activities Designed to Promote Student Wellness Goals

·        Maintain a District Wellness Advisory Council and Monitor and Review the Policy

We are asking for student, parent, and community participation on this committee.