The Hunger Games
September 28, 2012 at 2:44 pm in Worthington Daily Globe
New federal regulations bring changes to school lunches
WORTHINGTON Implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 has left some area students begging for more, despite the federal statute’s best intentions to get the nation’s children eating healthier during their school days. Continue Reading
I’d like to know who is behind this School menu program. Where did it originate? Whose idea?
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The calorie intake is right by age groups for the average child and I am happy to see more healthful choices being offered. I’d like to see the elimination of breaded chicken nuggets, unless they are whole meat chicken breaded at the school, instead of prepackaged nuggets. Would like to see grilled chicken breast sandwiches… and what the heck is Mr. Rib made of anyway? Hot dogs are served a lot. Wish they would serve only the nitrate free kind.
Can the children have extra legumes since they are called vegetables in this article? They are really more of a carb then a veggie and keeps a person feeling full longer.
Think it’s fair that if the athletes need more calories then the rest of the students, they have to pay extra for their extra calories.
Seems like it wouldn’t take much effort to make a peanut butter sandwich at home and bring it as a supplement either.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I believe that the federal government mandated these hot lunch calorie counts. Just to listen to what the hot lunch program director has to do each week shows that the local level has lost control and the fed government once again is big chief. I understand kids needing to eat healthier but do we starve them. It’s not only the athletes that are hungry. Why should someone in Washington D.C. tell us at our local level how much our kids can eat?
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Kids shouldn’t complain about starving. The administrator points out that kids can help themselves to as much fruit and vegetables as they care to eat, and presumably that goes beyond the 700 or so calories in the main entree. The schools tell the students this. Parents need to repeat it. It sounds to me like the administrator has a handle on the requisites of the new program.
The point of the program is obvious: reduce childhood obesity (a curse for life), thereby reducing future medical problems which cost all taxpayers. Every adult knows that good health and weight loss start with diet and exercise. Kids who are exposed to healthy diets and exercise at an early age have an advantage.
As for what “business” the federal government has in this? Broad-based programs simply run better when there are universal guidelines. In education, religion, health care, how much tax you pay – and even customer service – people appreciate getting direction and standardization. Without guidelines, chaos and confusion reign. Give the program time to work. You might even decide that, like the kids, you prefer whole wheat over white!
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Maybe the problem starts at home. A huge majority of kids are obese because they sit in front of the tube whenever not in school. They are living on junk food at home. Or maybe they have a medical problem. But to have MIchelle Obama dicatate in Washington how many calories a growing child should have? How is a kid supposed to study when they are hungry? That’s why the breakfast program was started.
These kids are so hungry when they get home from school that they eat what? Junk food til supper. The lunch program was doing fine – why does the federal govt have to stick their nose in it? For control which they already have too much of.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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The problem indeed does start at home. But too few parents take responsibility. And, yes, that’s why schools started offering breakfast AND lunch programs. That’s a huge responsibility, some of which should be on parents’ shoulders. We agree so far.
But to imply that Michelle Obama, single-handedly, woke up one morning and said, “Let’s mess with school lunches, just because we can!” is ludicrous. I’ve seen that charge before from the conservative media, in an attempt to discredit her. It’s downright foolish and mean-spirited. You can be certain many, many experts on nutrition and the dietary needs of children weighed in and developed the plan. These experts are a lot smarter than you or I. Mrs. Obama supports it, as she should, as an advocate for healthy children.
Obviously, the school lunch program was NOT fine. It wasn’t meeting the nutritional needs of the children who just continued to get fatter on empty calories. Your gripe is more with federal government regulation (and by inference Mrs. Obama), than it is with the quality or quantity of the food served. No child is going to starve to death because of this program. Grab those carrot sticks, kids! Or that apple!
If a child or his parents aren’t happy, let them pack the lunch at home. Rest assured, it’ll likely cost them more than $1.75 to put it together. Problem solved.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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“The lunch program was doing fine – why does the federal govt have to stick their nose in it? For control which they already have too much of.”
Factoid: The federal government has been involved in what they call the “national school lunch program” since 1946. (Milk programs started in 1940.) So, their “nose has been stuck in it” for a very long time! Even before Michelle Obama was born!
Here’s a little history, if you’re interested, straight from the source:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/lunch/aboutlunch/NSLPFactSheet.pdf
If you glean nothing else from the article, this line is important:
“While school lunches must meet Federal meal requirements, decisions about what specific foods to serve and how they are prepared are made by local school food authorities.”
Hot debate. What do you think?
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1: Kids need to eat breakfast. Many, i can imagine, don’t and thus they are hungry.
2: If you have an athlete, pack a snack. Sports aren’t mandated, so funding for more food for athletes shouldn’t be either.
3: Don’t like it, pack your own lunch.
Childhood obesity is skyrocking as is the amount of childhood type 2 (yes, type 2 in children) diabetes. We can at least get one healthy meal in them with this program.
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