School lunch program changes required by the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act are becoming costly for most school lunch programs across the country. A School Nutrition Association Study shows the mandate has financially harmed close to 70 percent of school districts surveyed. Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill says the legislation is ill conceived and the cost has outweighed the benefits.

The study also cites USDA data that estimates states and school districts will have to absorb $1.2 billion in new food, labor and administration costs this fiscal year. Hill says local districts can do a better job of developing a school lunch program that meets the nutritional needs of students than any policy that comes from Congress or the Administration.

Hill says his group will continue to work with policy makers to see what changes can be made to make the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act more workable.