Washington ( CNN ) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new proposed rule Thursday designed to strengthen school breakfast and lunch nutrition standards -- part of the Obama administration 's attempt to crack down on an epidemic of childhood obesity . The rule would increase the availability of fruits , vegetables , whole grains and low-fat milk while cutting the amount of sodium and saturated fat . It would reduce the availability of traditional school lunch staples such as pizza and french fries . Under the rule , federal minimum and maximum calorie intake guidelines would be established for the first time . Younger children would be offered 550 to 650 calories for lunch , while most high school students would be offered 750 to 850 calories . Saturated fat would constitute less than 10 percent of the total calories in school meals for children at all age levels . Trans fat would be banned . If implemented , the rule will affect an estimated 32 million school lunches and 12 million school breakfasts every year , according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack . Public health advocates praised the proposal , arguing it will encourage better lifelong eating habits . If children `` eat healthy foods at schools and like them , they 're going to be more open to eating healthy food at home and throughout the rest of their lives , '' said Margo Wootan , director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest . Some conservatives , however , contend that enforcement of nutrition standards in school meals is not an appropriate role for the federal government . The proposed rule is open for public comment through mid-April . Once the rule takes effect , school districts will be required to meet its standards to be eligible for federal assistance for school meals . Almost one-third of American children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight or obese , according to a recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Obese children face an increased risk of a range of health problems , including high blood pressure , high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes . This is `` an issue that needs to be addressed , '' Vilsack said . `` The United States is facing an obesity epidemic and the crisis of poor diets threatens the future of our children -- and our nation . '' If the obesity problem is n't effectively dealt with , the country could face an additional $ 344 billion in health care costs by 2018 , Vilsack told reporters . President Barack Obama signed a sweeping overhaul of child nutrition standards in December , enacting a law meant to encourage better eating habits in part by giving the federal government more authority to set standards for food sold in vending machines and elsewhere on school grounds . The new proposed rule is a consequence of the $ 4.5 billion measure . Among other things , the law provides more money to poor areas to subsidize school lunches . To help offset the higher cost of including more fruits and vegetables , the bill increases the reimbursement rate for the program . The measure was a top priority for first lady Michelle Obama , who championed it as part of her `` Let 's Move '' initiative to combat child obesity in the United States . CNN 's Matt Cherry and Sally Holland contributed to this report .
The USDA proposes rule to increase availability of fruits , vegetables and grains in school lunches . Text: http://www.usda.gov/media/documents/2014/04/20140421_030509.pdf Poor areas will get more money for subsidized lunches .