Donald Trump’s administration is set to relax rules on the nutritional standards of school meals, dismantling legislation Michelle Obama fought hard to introduce during her time as First Lady.
The National School Lunch Programme, which provided nutritionally balanced meals to children for free or for a reduced price, was set up under the Obama administration to help tackle childhood obesity.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was expected to announce a new rule allowing more “regulatory flexibility” in the school lunch programme on Monday at Catoctin Elementary School in Virginia.
He was scheduled to eat lunch with students there, along with Senator Pat Roberts, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
It is unclear what the new rule will entail or what effect it will have on school meals, but conservative Republicans have long sought to reverse the programme. Many have complained about the cost of the initiative, which allowed schools with students living in poverty to provide free breakfasts and lunches without requiring proof of an individual child's family income.
The law required the government to use recommendations from the Institute of Medicine to make meals in schools more nutritious, including more fruit and vegetables and less salt and meat. It also prevented schools from selling snacks high in salt, sugar and fat in cafeterias and vending machines.
Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons
Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge" A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts" British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad Nancy Brown, chief executive of the American Heart Association, responded to the announcement by saying the regulations had begun to work and that 99 per cent of schools were complying with them.
“Improving children's health should be a top priority for the USDA (US Department of Agriculture), and serving more nutritious foods in schools is a clear-cut way to accomplish this goal,” NBC reported Ms Brown as saying.
“Rather than altering the current path forward, we hope the agency focuses more on providing technical assistance that can help schools get across the finish line, if they haven't done so already.”