A top official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited state officials in Charleston Monday to discuss the Obama Administration’s priorities for improving school meals and the health of school children.

Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Julie Paradis says the child nutrition reauthorization legislation now moving through Congress will benefit hungry kids, creating lunchroom standards.  Paradis says South Carolina is among the states that has some lunchroom standards already.  She says the federal government wants to pay school cafeteria workers more.

Paradis says cutting down on childhood obesity is the focus of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “let’s Move” campaign.  She says about one-third of American children are either overweight or obese. She says it’s a problem in every state.

(Paradis on student obesity  MP3  1:38)
Paradis on student obesity

Paradis says the Department of Agriculture is also looking at funding nutritional programs for child care services.

Paradis says the Department of Agriculture will release its new dietary guidelines for the American public at the end of this year. New guidelines are created every five years.