The foods that schools wanted exempt from whole-grain rule

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This article was published 02/05/2019 (2647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Trump administration recently rolled back a rule that said foods like bread and pasta have to be made with whole grains. Before the rule was relaxed, schools needed temporary waivers to serve foods like white rice, which have a finer texture but also less fiber.

Examples of foods schools wanted exempt from the whole grains rule.

ALABAMA

Hamburger and hot dog buns got exemptions, but a past request for breakfast pastries was denied.

ALASKA

A district cited “cultural significance” in requesting permission to serve Sailor Boy Pilot Bread , a cracker-like product eaten in the state.

ARIZONA

Whole-grain pizza crusts harden when cooked, according to one district. As long as students are used to Little Caesar’s and Domino’s, “they will not be happy with our product,” it said.

COLORADO

Students don’t like whole-grain croissants , one district said. “Plus they are 20 cents more per serving.”

DELAWARE

“I stopped eating macaroni and cheese when you guys started making it beige,” one district quoted a student as saying in a waiver request for pasta.

FLORIDA

A district wrote that wheat pasta didn’t mix well with cheese, and that it’s “actually gross .” It said the whole-grain pizza was also more expensive and not as popular.

GEORGIA

A school lunch official said the “whole grain biscuits are terrible” and that they affect the “test scores of rednecks.”

HAWAII

Bread, English muffins, bagels were requested exempt by one district, for reasons including quality, financial impact and availability.

IDAHO

Tortillas and pizza do not retain the desired texture or lost palatability during the hold time, a district said.

KANSAS

Pop Tarts , puff pastry sheets, fruit turnovers were among the foods schools requested waivers for in the current school year.

KENTUCKY

Whole-grain items cost more , a district noted. It said whole grain pasta is $1.22 per pound, compared with 76 cents per pound for traditional pasta; biscuits are 26 cents per serving, compared with 17 cents; saltines were 2 cents per cracker, compared with 1 cent.

LOUISIANA

Along with the more typical requests, beignets, jambalaya and sugar cookies were among the items schools requested waived.

MICHIGAN

Bagels , cereal, pancakes and pizza were among the exempted foods for the current school year.

NEW MEXICO

A request for pasta and Chef Boyardee ravioli said most children the district serves are in “low poverty” and rely on school meals. “With this said we would like to provide meals children are willing to eat and not go hungry,” the request said.

NORTH DAKOTA

Districts requested waivers for a hot cereal popular in the area called Coco Wheats .

OHIO

Saltines , pasta, sub buns and French toast sticks were among the foods districts requested waived.

OREGON

Whole-grain pasta is gritty and discolours the cheese, according to a waiver request for mac and cheese.

WYOMING

Students like being able to choose between white and wheat bread “just like Subway,” a district said in requesting a waiver for subs . The request was denied.