A federally funded program to make kids eat their vegetables at school got a hard look from a Senate panel during a hearing on Thursday.

Sen. Pat Roberts (R- Kan.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry stated that programs like these cannot help anyone f they are not working.

He said that it was very important for him to allow 'some flexibility' in new models while protecting the past gains.

During the Thursday's hearing the committee evaluated children nutrition programs for reauthorization and to look for some input from government officials.

Ranking member Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said that one in every three American children and teenagers are currently obese or overweight, and obesity rates have plateaued in some parts of the country.

She said, "Child nutrition is about leveling playing field so that a baby, a child, a teen in Detroit or a rural or a suburb of Atlanta, or farm in Iowa has every opportunity to be healthy and successful".

Stabenow said she has see thing improving. Children now eat 16% more vegetables and 23% more fruits, according to a Harvard School of Public Health report.

But she said that despite this improvement there is lots of work to be done which is still pending.

Cindy Jones, business management coordinator for school nutrition programs for the Olathe Public Schools in Olathe Kansas, stated that after implementing 'universal breakfasts' very few students came in late or missed school, and they even saw good behavioral change in them.

But Jones said recent revisions to school nutrition standards have tempered these successes. But depute their best efforts to make meals more appealing, they are struggling with student acceptance, she added.

Jones estimates her school has lost $700,000 in 'a la carte' revenues after the Smart Snacks in Schools program was implemented.