This past January, the Senate Agricultural Committee approved a bipartisan measure introduced by Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). This measure argued that the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA), passed by Congress in 2010, was too limiting. This new legislation, "The Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016," aims to reform, reauthorize, and encourage child nutrition.

Under HHFKA, school lunches were required to have 100 percent of their grains be "whole-grain rich" (which only means that 50% of the grains were fully whole grain). HHFKA also required that schools decrease the sodium in their foods, with target goals in 2014, 2017, and 2022. Increased whole grains and decreased sodium are key in preventing obesity and Type II diabetes, raising attention spans and energy levels, and helping children feel fuller longer.

The Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act is cutting back on some of the positive aspects of HHFKA. Schools complained that the prices of whole grains were too expensive and children were less likely to eat the new products and some claim that reducing the sodium may be putting the nation's children at risk. While more research is being conducted on that, schools are continuing to reduce sodium, but the second target goal has been pushed back from 2017 to 2019. This new act also cuts back on whole grains: schools are only required to have 80% of "whole-grain rich" grains (or 40% fully whole grain).

But is this new legislation a bad thing? Maybe not.

This measure is still aimed at improving the nutrition of school meals. Roberts and Stabenow emphasized the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables and have outlined affordable and low-waste ways for schools to serve fresh produce. This measure also has set target goal limitations on fat, sodium, and sugar that may be more realistic for schools to achieve. This legislation also made it easier for schools who struggle to receive federal funding to help them comply to the new standards, increasing Congressional loans to schools who need cafeteria renovation, and increasing the Farm to School Program, which encourages fresh and local eating. Maybe most importantly, this legislation settles some of the arguments between parties over public health issues. Though nobody has gotten everything they wanted, this bill is making major steps towards compromise and reforming school nutrition.

Roberts and Stabenow are encouraging the House of Representatives to introduce and pass the bill. If this is done quickly, these new standards could be in place for the beginning of the next school year. This bill is not a victory for Democrats or Republicans, but rather, a victory for the health of children nationwide.