BRANDON, S.D.—Brandon Valley’s school lunch program is at odds with the White House – or at least with the new federal guidelines that mandate more fresh fruits, whole-grain and low-sodium foods and fewer “competitive foods,” such as cookies.
“We’re working against the White House right now,” Gay Anderson, BVSD’s director of food services, told the school board last week. Brandon Valley, like thousands of other school districts across the country, is asking for leniency on some of the new policies that will ultimately affect the food service department’s bottom line.
“I definitely want to offer a healthy, nutritious meal, but I also want to offer ‘extras’ for those kids who are still hungry,” Anderson said.