In a confusing move that will affect the health of the nation's children, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last week that the department is lifting the limits on the amounts of grain and meat products allowed in school lunches.

Beef Products Inc, manufacturer of the controversial ammonium hydroxide drenched beef filler by-product, nicknamed 'pink slime', has announced that at least temporarily, it is shutting down 75 percent of its production.

After news spread that the USDA was planning on feeding 7 million pounds of the controversial meat product nicknamed "pink slime," the department announced that school districts participating in the government's school lunch program could refuse the ammonium hydroxide treated meat and request "filler-free" options instead.

Reacting to criticism over the use of beef scraps—including tissue and other parts of cows usually designated for pet food—nicknamed 'pink slime' by plucky British chef and healthy food advocate, Jamie Oliver, beef industry producers say the attacks and name-calling are unwarranted, and moreover, the product is not a health risk.

In a suspect move coming on the heels of major efforts to improve the quality of food fed to the nation's children, the USDA has made arrangements to purchase some 7 million pounds of the controversial "pink slime" meat for use in the national school lunch program, reports The Daily.

The newest version of a proposed Congressional spending bill will classify pizza and French fries served as part of school lunches as vegetables, reports the Associated Press.

As the nation's second largest school district prepares for the start of the fall semester, student food critics have been hard at work sampling some healthier menu items soon to be found in cafeterias across Los Angeles.