Rollback on school lunch standards welcomed at Holmen

Things like sodium levels won’t decrease next fall.

Several restrictions were placed during the Barack Obama presidency on school lunches.

President Donald Trump is taking aim at guidelines put on school lunches, as part of Michelle Obama’s Get out and Play campaign.

Trump is slowing down those restrictions. Micahel Gasper, the food service director for Holmen schools, is in favor of the halt.

“They’re going to leave the sodium level where it’s at this year,” he said. “We were actually (supposed) to drop again, the sodium level, this coming school year, from where it is right now. 

“We were getting close … (to) almost no sodium. It would have prevented us from serving a lot of foods that are healthy for you, but happen to have some naturally occurring sodium.”

As far as food waste, Gasper says the rumors of it rising dramatically under the Obama guidelines were overblown.

“Food waste has been part of school food service since it’s inception, even before they had regulations as far as what kid can eat,” he said. “So, I think that may be a little blown out of proportion. Just in fruit alone we try to provide 5-7 options every day.”