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USDA: No limits for soy in school meals

Meal producers blast federal ruling.

The U.S. Agriculture Dept. announced last month that it will allow school cafeterias to substitute more veggie burgers for hamburgers as a source of protein in kids' diets.

The decision overrules a previous requirement that no more than 30 percent

of protein in school meals come from vegetable sources such as soybeans, and that all vegetable protein served in schools be fortified with iron and zinc. Vegetarian groups and some nutritionists hailed the change while the meat industry assailed it as compromising nutrition standards.

The central point in the controversy (other than market share in the multi-billion dollar school meals program) is the nutritional makeup of soy, which has less iron and zinc than beef.

USDA claims that the dif ference is negligible if the soy protein is part of a balanced diet, and that any nutritional deficiency is more than balanced by soy's markedly lower fat content. (The standard soy burger has 3 grams of fat, compared with 16 for a standard beef patty.)

The ruling does not mandate an increased use of soy, but does increase the flexibility schools have in planning meals. The ruling affects school breakfast and lunch programs as well as summer foodservice and other domestic food aid programs.

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