Providing healthier meals in schools alone is not enough. Students need to learn about nutrition from an early age so they can make better food choices.
The Trump administration proposes to deny people green cards for using Medi-Cal or food stamps. Benefits received by U.S. citizen children cannot be taken into account, under the draft regulations. But experts say parents could pull hundreds of thousands of California children out of health and nutrition programs out of fear.
California's enthusiasm for healthy school lunches appears unlikely to change under a proposed Congressional budget bill that would allow states to weaken new federal school nutrition requirements, including one that schools serve only breads and pastas that are "whole grain rich."
Nearly every school kitchen in California needs equipment to be more successful at serving lunches that meet federal nutrition standards, according to a report released Thursday.
