School lunches and federal government overreach. The authoritarian impulse on display.

White House asked to stay away from school nutrition summitBy:  Helena Bottemiller Evich July 14, 2014 06:28 PM EDT

BOSTON — Michelle Obama’s food policy czar, celebrity chef Sam Kass, was once so in with the lunch lady crowd that he landed a guest judge spot on a tearful school lunch episode of Food Network’s “Chopped” and handed out awards at the School Nutrition Association’s convention in Denver. Two years later, when he asked to speak at the group’s annual convention this week in Boston, the answer: “No.” The rebuke shows how ugly the fight has become between the first lady and her supporters, who want kids to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in their school lunches, and the organization that represents cafeteria workers and their allies who argue that the federal government is going too far in its push for healthier meals. At stake is the health of millions of kids, an $11 billion school lunch program dominated by big food companies that want to build brand loyalty early and even the legacy of the first lady — who has made combating the childhood obesity epidemic her primary cause. So while the specifics might look like a food fight, behind the clash are all the big forces that shape major political battles — money, lobbying muscle, big personalities — and an ideological split over the size and role of the federal government, especially when it comes to kids. “Our members are very frustrated,” said Patricia Montague, SNA’s CEO. “Everybody is feeling a little bit stretched and stressed by what they’re facing,” she said, citing an onslaught of policy memos and regulations. Montague acknowledged that Kass, through the Department of Agriculture, asked to speak at SNA’s conference this week “to rally the troops” on the nutrition standards. This year, roughly 6,500 school nutrition professionals are attending the conference, which runs through Wednesday in Boston. “We didn’t feel [our members] wanted to hear the rallying call,” she said. “We felt it was best he not come.” The first lady’s office declined to comment on Kass’ request to speak. That’s a big difference from Kass’ appearance at SNA’s 2012 convention, in Denver, where he presented chef coats to the cafeteria professionals who appeared with him on an emotional episode of “Chopped” a few months earlier. (Also on POLITICO: Why Michelle Obama is so popular) “It’s not often that school nutrition employees receive positive affirmation for the work they do on behalf of the nation’s children — much less be recognized for it on national television!” read SNA’s plug of Kass’ appearance at the gathering. But a lot has changed since 2012, when major school meal reforms started kicking in. Schools have since started having to serve whole-grain-rich versions of pizza; kids now have to take a fruit or vegetable with their meals; and trans fat is no longer allowed. Ninety percent of schools are meeting the already phased-in standards, which come with more federal funding, and districts across the country have transformed their menus to include more scratch cooking. However, not everyone is cheering the changes, a few of which went into effect on July 1 in time for the next school year. When SNA asked Congress for some regulatory relief, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), included a measure in the House agriculture appropriations bill to give schools a break from the requirements next school year if they show a net loss for six months. The waiver rider sparked a civil war within the nutrition community and infuriated the Obama administration, which openly questions why SNA is seeking to roll back key elements of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, a bipartisan law the group originally backed. (WATCH: POLITICO's 'Open Mike' interview with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack) Nineteen former SNA presidents wrote a letter of dissent and several expressed worry that the food industry was unduly influencing the association’s position, for which it was aggressively lobbying on Capitol Hill — moves that led the White House to believe that most school nutrition leaders are on its team and agree with the changes. SNA has ardently denied that the food industry, the source of more than half the association’s operating budget, is fueling its push for regulatory relief, pointing to larger concerns about kids dropping out of the program because they don’t like the food. A powerful lobby that represents school districts in every state, SNA has 55,000 members, a significant portion of whom are overwhelmed by all the new nutrition regulations, which strictly limit sodium and require students to take a serving of fruit or vegetables for a meal to qualify for USDA reimbursement, according to Montague. Participation levels are down in many districts, and schools that rely on food sales to fund other programs are very concerned about losing revenue. At SNA’s opening session in Boston on Sunday, Montague addressed the intense political fight and “media firestorm” head-on. She called accusations that her group “doesn’t care about kids” or is seeking to gut the program “hurtful and offensive.” “You should be given the respect and deference that you so rightly deserve,” she said to a standing ovation. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) also spoke, but he advised SNA to work with the Obama administration and beware of House Republicans because he believes they want to dismantle the program. “My advice is also to not ask Congress to fix this legislatively because Congress will screw it up,” said McGovern later. “There are members of Congress who believe the government shouldn’t be involved in school lunch at all.” The first lady has pledged to “fight until the bitter end” to keep the reforms intact. But along the way, the political fight has left the East Wing uncomfortably at odds with the army of school nutrition professionals it needs to promote healthy food in cafeterias. There will be a strong presence from USDA at SNA’s convention this week, and the association has not had White House officials at every recent conference, Montague noted. Several USDA officials are presenting education sessions. Janey Thornton, deputy undersecretary of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service as well as a past SNA president, is speaking at a general session. But not allowing Kass to speak shows just how bad things have gotten between the two sides. Montague also said Kass called her personally after the House appropriations fight kicked up in May and asked that SNA remove a link to the first lady’s Let’s Move! program from its website. Montague said SNA complied with the request, but she noted that the group has “done a lot to promote Let’s Move!” One of the earlier campaigns, launched on the South Lawn, was called Chefs Move! to Schools and paired local chefs with school nutrition programs to help revamp menus and teach cooking classes. Even a meeting last week to hear concerns about the school nutrition changes fanned hard feelings behind the scenes. The meeting, led by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, included SNA and the National School Board Association, the two groups leading the charge for giving schools a break from some of the rules, but also present were representatives of 14 other groups that support keeping the regulations in place. SNA had requested a face-to-face meeting of its board with Vilsack as well as the first lady and did not feel the roundtable was a sufficient response. The association’s brass also grumbled that USDA’s meeting, which Kass attended, was scheduled during SNA’s annual board meeting so top leaders were unable to attend. An administration official said meeting organizers were a little “baffled” that SNA did not send one of its top officials to the meeting. SNA was represented at the event by Wendy Weyer, who leads the Seattle Public Schools nutrition program, chairs SNA’s public policy committee and serves on SNA’s board.