Pizza Remains a “Vegetable” In School Lunches

With one in five U.S. children living in poverty, many families rely on federally-funded school meals to feed their children. The growing childhood obesity epidemic, with approximately 17 percent of U.S. children being obese, tells us that what children eat matters to their health.

So when the U.S. Department of Agriculture disputed regulations that allowed an eighth of a cup of tomato paste to be counted as a half-cup serving of vegetables, the food manufacturing lobbyists fought back. The debate spilled over to include starchy vegetables, like white potatoes and corn, which the USDA wanted to limit in school lunches.

In the end, the agriculture appropriation bill that leaves the same tomato paste and potato servings guidelines in place for another year, was signed by President Obama.

The move was deemed an "important victory" by a spokesman for the American Frozen Food Institute, which lobbied against proposed nutritional reforms on behalf of food suppliers, according to Salon.com.

But a call to action from the Center for Science in the Public Interest says: "At a time when child nutrition and childhood obesity are national health concerns, Congress should be supporting USDA and school efforts to serve healthier school meals, not undermining them.

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