The federal government is making the first significant changes to school lunch rules in 15 years. While some schools have been working on healthier lunches ahead of time, others will have some catching up to do.

Grant Gerlock of NET News recently talked to Bev Benes, director of Nutrition Services with the Nebraska Department of Education, about what the changes will mean in Nebraska. He asked about specific changes in the state:

"Certainly, there are schools that are serving some more of the processed foods. And there are some very legitimate reasons for that. Many of the schools have limited labor available. They also have had their funding cut over the last few years, and schools are trying to find a variety of ways to control their budgets. One of the ways they can do that is by serving pre-prepared, heat-and-serve foods. This is probably going to require more from-scratch preparation.

"So in the department, we're currently thinking about developing training not only on the new meal pattern, but also on ways to prepare the food from scratch. And I think once the students start getting to taste some of these from-scratch recipes, they'll really like the food."

Click here to listen to or read the interview. The Oakland Tribune shares a similar perspective on the how the rule changes will affect schools in California.

If you want more information on the rule changes, check out Harvest reporter Clay Masters' preview of the new rules: "School lunch changes still in the works."