Are children getting their fill?

School lunches got a bit healthier this year as part of new federal regulations to improve child nutrition and curb the growing problem of obesity. But the changes have not been received positively — especially not by children and parents who say that portion sizes are too small and that too much unwanted food is going to waste.

Under the guidelines of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, changes to school lunch programs went into effect this school year. The regulations limit the amount of meat students can get with their meals, and force them to take fruits or vegetables, even if they don’t want them.

Meals for elementary-age children are limited to 650 calories, with a maximum of 10 ounces of meat per week, though kids must receive a minimum of one ounce per day. For high school students the limit is 850 calories and up to 12 ounces of meat per week.

“Obesity is an epidemic that’s killing Americans every single day and costing our health care system billions of dollars every year,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat from Mineola, who supported the legislation. “The USDA’s reforms were designed to encourage good habits at an early age to save both lives and money, but we must also monitor the implementation and listen to all stakeholders to balance the concerns of students, parents, administrators and the medical community.”

It appears that the federal government has heard the complaints and will soon revise its guidelines. According to Meredith Brosnan, the assistant superintendent for business of Valley Stream District 13, new regulations will do away with the daily limits on meats and grains.

Those limits have drawn the ire of school officials, parents and especially students. “The portion sizes are smaller,” said Anne-Renee Rubia, a ninth-grader at Memorial Junior High School. “I’m paying for less, basically.”

Eighth-grader Meaghan Adams noted that the slices of one of the more popular items at school — pizza — are noticeably smaller.