USDA secretary halting school nutrition standards
By Weston Williams, Christian Science Monitor
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has had a busy first week. Only six days after his appointment to the new position, Perdue announced he would roll back Obama-era school nutrition standards, a move that has prompted criticism from a number of nutrition experts around the country.
Perdue called for a relaxation of the standards in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act introduced in 2010, which had been championed by former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
The rollback would reduce whole-grain requirements, allow higher levels of sodium entrees, and restore higher-fat and sweetened milk to school cafeterias nationwide.