Dick Lugar: “the bill before us today amends the National School Lunch Act to provide greater flexibility to school food service…”

“the bill before us today amends the National School Lunch Act to provide greater flexibility to school food service authorities to meet the USDA dietary guidelines for Americans. It is a positive step in providing healthy meals for our Nation's school children. As I have stated on numerous occasions, the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs work. School food service authorities have worked for nearly 50 years feeding millions of children each school day healthy meals. In recent years they have worked even harder to reduce the fat and sodium in the meals. I support these changes made by school food authorities to improve the nutritional profile of school meals; and I believe it is important to provide them adequate flexibility to serve meals that meet the USDA dietary guidelines for Americans and the recommended dietary allowances. The purpose of the bill, which is similar to one introduced by the distinguished Senator from Mississippi, Senator Cochran, is not to delete or postpone the implementation of the dietary guidelines as contained in the Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act of 1994. It is, however, to provide needed flexibility and clarity to meet these requirements in a cost efficient manner.”