Last Thursday, U.S. Representative Kristi Noem introduced a new school nutrition bill that would reduce federal mandates on school lunch programs. According to Noem, the bill would make the USDA’s temporary easing of the meat and grain requirements permanent, allowing schools more flexibility in serving meats and grains while staying within calorie maximums; and give administrators flexibility on some of the rules that have increased costs for school districts. Tarini Parti, agriculture reporter for Politico, wrote about Noem’s bill last week for the Washington-based journalism organization which covers national politics.