TV Feature - USDA Healthy School Meal Standards Are Proving Popular

USDA TV Feature USDA Healthy School Meals Standards Are Proving Popular In this, the second year of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's healthier school meal standards, most U.S. schools are adopting the changes.   YouTube: FNS School Meals  Video Podcast: FNS School Meals iTunes   A new TV feature is available on the USDA FTP site. *BROADCASTERS: VIDEO DOWNLOAD INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT BOTTOM OF PAGE    FEATURE - USDA Healthy School Meals Standards Are Proving Popular INTRO: In this, the second year of the U-S Department of Agriculture's healthier school meal standards, most U-S schools are adopting the changes. U-S-D-A's Patrick O'Leary has more from Bondurant, Iowa. (1:54) THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IS CELEBRATING GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICA'S SCHOOLS: NEW GUIDELINES FOR HEALTHIER SCHOOL MEALS INTRODUCED LAST YEAR ARE PROVING TO BE POPULAR, AS NEARLY EIGHTY PERCENT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE ADOPTED THE CHANGES. IN CENTRAL IOWA'S BONDURANT-FARRAR SCHOOL DISTRICT, THAT MEANS MORE FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND WHOLE GRAINS, LOW FAT DAIRY AND OTHER CHANGES ARE MAKING SCHOOL MEALS HEALTHIER FOR STUDENTS. Lexi Atzen, Iowa High School Senior:  It makes you feel better. When you eat good foods you feel a lot better about yourself, you feel a lot better just in general – you have more energy. And then that leads into the classroom as well. Clayton Beck, Iowa High School Senior: There are some of my friends that say, like, oh they don't feed us enough, we don't get enough to eat. Well, those people that are complaining, they'll only take a burrito and an apple. But if you take the burrito and then the beans and then the salad and then the fruit, you get full. FOR SOME SCHOOLS, THE NEW GUIDELINES HAVE REPRESENTED CHANGES – AND CHALLENGES. Mike Kramer, Principal, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Iowa: With all the different changes, it seemed like we would be worried about the number of calories, especially our high school students would be eating. But with the variety of options, there is really something for about every student.  FOR SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE DIRECTORS, THE NEW SCHOOL MEALS PATTERNS ARE A CHANCE TO BE CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE. Dee Dee Olson: You know it's just a challenge teaching the food service staff that I have, getting them to buy into it, getting them to know that this is do-able, this doesn't take that long, we can do this. THE VAST MAJORITY OF SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY REPORT HAVING SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED THE NEW MEAL STANDARDS, AND U-S-D-A EXPECTS TO HEAR FROM MORE STATES SOON Janey Thornton, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition & Consumer Services:  So foods that children are purchasing at school will be foods that will add to their overall good nutritional health. So we're very, very excited about that. IN BONDURANT, IOWA, FOR THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, I'M PAT O'LEARY.   FTP DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS:  The host: ftp://ocbmtcmedia.download.akamai.com/23747/TV_Features/  User name: usdaftp  Password: 1qaz2wsx Filename for TV Feature: FNS School Meals The new file is in QuickTime Movie (H.264 )  Please use this free ftp client if you have problems.  http://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type+client  Please email bob.ellison@usda.gov if you have problems or suggestions.        Contact Us STAY CONNECTED: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Preferences  |  Delete profile  |  Help This email was sent to buzzhairs@gmail.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: USDA Office of Communications · 1400 Independence Ave SW · Washington DC 20250 If you have questions about USDA activities, please visit our Ask the Expert page. This feature is designed to assist you in obtaining the information you are seeking. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).