The school lunch program adopted new rules in 2012 to improve the health and quality of breakfasts and lunches, with more vegetables, limited fat and salt, and reduced portions to fight child obesity. K through fifth grades had calorie counts capped at 650 per meal, sixth-graders through eighth-graders were 700 per meal, and high school students got 850 per meal.

The calorie limits for daily and weekly consumption also made menu choices problematic for simple meals. A regular sandwich with two slices of bread, for example, exceeded grain limits.

By late 2012, however, students were criticizing the low-calorie meals as unsatisfying and not providing the necessary protein and carbohydrates for sports and extracurricular activities.

As a result, more kids began bringing lunches from home – usually with even less healthy food choices. By the middle of 2013, a number of school districts were opting out of the federal school lunch programs and their subsidized support.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon said the feedback from schools and parents led to more latitude in daily and weekly ranges for grain and proteins.

“Earlier this school year, the USDA made a commitment to school nutrition professionals that we would make the meat and grain flexibility permanent and provide needed stability for long-term planning. We have delivered on that promise,” said Concannon.

Applauding the move were U.S. Sens. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, and Mark Pryor, D-Arkansas, who had lobbied the USDA to alter some rules after criticism from parents and schools. The two sponsored the Sensible School Lunch Act with bipartisan support to implement new rules, like those adopted with the USDA’s Jan. 2 policy.

“Today, the USDA made the changes we have been seeking to the school lunch program,” Hoeven said. “A one-size-fits-all approach to school lunch left students hungry and school districts frustrated with the additional expense, paperwork and nutritional research necessary to meet federal requirements. Our Sensible School Lunch Act would have made the changes in any case.”

The NCBA in a newsletter called the announcement “an important but small piece to a bigger nutritional policy puzzle. … This is a great example of all stakeholders weighing in with the USDA and the USDA listening to schools and students to better meet their needs.”

And the American Meat Institute’s Eric Mittenthal said the flexibility will pack more nutrition into students’ meals at school.

“As complete proteins meat and poultry specifically offer a full array of essential amino acids as well as numerous other nutrients beneficial to growing bodies. Incorporating meat and poultry has also been shown to have satiety benefits, meaning students would be less likely to snack throughout the day,” Mittenthal wrote in a statement. “When you consider these factors, it makes sense that USDA would allow schools more flexibility to include lean proteins in school lunch programs and we support that decision.”

The USDA said it will publish final rules with provisions to make the grain and meat/meat-alternate changes compliant with the federal law, so long as schools meet the weekly minimums for grain and proteins, as well as the total calorie ranges.