Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Pizza Is Still A Vegetable: U.S. Announces New School Lunch Rules
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 26, 2012
Modified Jan 26, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 26, 2012
Modified Jan 26, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Finally, the United States has overhauled school lunch rules for the first time in 15 years, forcing cafeterias to do things like "Offer fruits and vegetables as two separate meal components" to help with the childhood obesity epidemic. Thanks goodness Big Pizza, Big Salt and Big Potato succeeded in getting pizza and French fries classified as vegetables.
Other new rules include (PDF for the rest): All milk must be low-fat or non-fat (there can be flavored non-fat milk); starting to make whole grains the only grains served ("half of the grains would be whole grain-rich upon implementation of the rule and all grains would be whole-grain rich two years post implementation"); making sure vegetables are offered daily at lunch, "including specific vegetable subgroups weekly (dark green, orange, legumes, and other as defined in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines) and a limited quantity of starchy vegetables throughout the week"; and the level of sodium in meals will be decreased over a ten year period. Pfft—if the Obama administration really wanted to shake things up with children's eating habits, get the NYC Department of Health to design the posters.
The American Frozen Food Institute told the NY Times, "From our perspective, the new rules improve school nutrition, but at the same time give schools the flexibility to serve a variety of foods to meet the standards. It’s a balanced approach that meets the goals of everyone involved," while the National Potato Council was still a little annoyed, "Despite the fact that Congress said the U.S.D.A. could not limit potatoes in school lunches or breakfast, we still feel like the potato is being downplayed in favor of other vegetables in the new guidelines. It seems the department still considers the potato a second-class vegetable."
Who cares whether vegetables are first- or second-class when kids today CAN'T EVEN IDENTIFY THEM?
Tagged
pizza
potatoes
school lunch
tomatoes
vegetable
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Sep 12, 2026
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
Food
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Can a congressional candidate's dumpling diplomacy win over Queens’ immigrant communities?
By
Caroline Shin
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .