Controversial: Preschooler's Lunch Deemed Inadequate, Supplemented With Chicken Nuggets

A very interesting story came up today, reported first by the CarolinaJournal. A North Carolina preschooler was told by an inspector to eat chicken nuggets with her homemade meal. The child ended up eating only the nuggets.

You need to eat these too! Says food monitor

Not good enough...

"The Division of Child Development and Early Education at the Department of Health and Human Services requires all lunches served in pre-kindergarten programs — including in-home day care centers — to meet USDA guidelines. That means lunches must consist of one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetables, even if the lunches are brought from home." The meal consisted of the following: turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice. As you can see, there's one serving of meat (turkey), 1 serving of milk (cheese), 1 serving of grain, and 2 servings of fruit (banana and apple juice). Unless the portions were really tiny, the meal fits the bill. Nevertheless, the child was given chicken nuggets and a $1.25 bill. I'm still very sketchy about chicken nuggets after doing this blog post. Chances are, the school's nuggets aren't that good either.
Since the incident, the mother has complained to North Carolina Representative G.L. Pridgen of Robeson County.
Are these lunch regulations necessary? Do they provide important oversight to help ensure kids are eating healthy, balanced meals? Or do they impede on parents' liberties and send children the wrong message?