Arizona school lunches won’t change after feds scale back regulations

PHOENIX — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday it would scale back school lunch standards that were implemented under the Obama administration.

But an Arizona official said students in the state should not expect to see much change on their lunch trays.

“In Arizona today, the meals haven’t really changed since 2006,” Mark Frantz, the director of school nutrition programs with the Arizona Department of Education, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

“That’s because our state was one of the first to implement a state nutrition standard called the Arizona Nutrition Standards.”

Frantz said the announcement basically means that each state will allow “more flexibility for schools to design their school breakfast and lunch menus.”

This comes after former first lady Michelle Obama’s 8-year-old hard-fought battle to get fried foods out of school cafeterias and baked foods in, making wheat breads, fruits and vegetables a staple in each meal.

The Arizona Department of Education’s nutrition program allows the state’s school lunches to be focused on the nutrition standard set in place, meaning that fresh fruits and vegetables in each meal.

The Tuesday announcement was made during the U.S. Department of Agriculture State Agency meeting in Washington, D.C., when officials briefed the agencies that implement school meal programs on an annual basis of upcoming rule changes or updates.

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