USDA to make school lunches edible again. Michelle Obama hardest hit.

[GURPS]

USDA to make school lunches edible again. Michelle Obama hardest hit.



With Sonny Perdue in at Agriculture you might expect him to kick things off with some changes to ethanol subsidies or President Trump’s new executive order designed to help out farmers. But he’s got something else on the menu (pardon the pun) which is long overdue and should be considerably easier to accomplish. While Barack Obama was in office there were some big changes to school lunches which were ostensibly intended to make them more nutritious, but actually wound up making them mostly inedible. (A project championed by Michelle Obama as her signature issue.) On Monday, those rules may be changing, much to the relief of students around the nation. (The Hill)

Newly minted Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is expected to unveil a new rule Monday aimed at giving schools more flexibility in meeting federal nutrition standards for school lunches.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Friday that Perdue and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) will make the announcement at the Catoctin Elementary School in Leesburg, Va., where they are expected to eat lunch with the students.

Republicans have long been trying to dial back the standards that became a pillar of former first lady Michelle Obama ’s initiative to curb childhood obesity in the U.S.​

I’m sure they’ll find better ways to describe it for PR reasons, but what we’re mostly expecting is a revamp of the program to “Make Lunches Edible Again.” Taking virtually all the salt out of the menu items and pushing raw veggies while scaling back on meat or anything with any fat in it was a disaster in the making from the beginning. This was something I first started writing about nearly three years ago in terms of Michelle Obama’s War on Edible Food.

 

[Wishbone]

Quinoa futures are tanking.

 

[awpitt]

USDA to make school lunches edible again. Michelle Obama hardest hit.



With Sonny Perdue in at Agriculture you might expect him to kick things off with some changes to ethanol subsidies or President Trump’s new executive order designed to help out farmers. But he’s got something else on the menu (pardon the pun) which is long overdue and should be considerably easier to accomplish. While Barack Obama was in office there were some big changes to school lunches which were ostensibly intended to make them more nutritious, but actually wound up making them mostly inedible. (A project championed by Michelle Obama as her signature issue.) On Monday, those rules may be changing, much to the relief of students around the nation. (The Hill)

Newly minted Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is expected to unveil a new rule Monday aimed at giving schools more flexibility in meeting federal nutrition standards for school lunches.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Friday that Perdue and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) will make the announcement at the Catoctin Elementary School in Leesburg, Va., where they are expected to eat lunch with the students.

Republicans have long been trying to dial back the standards that became a pillar of former first lady Michelle Obama ’s initiative to curb childhood obesity in the U.S.​

I’m sure they’ll find better ways to describe it for PR reasons, but what we’re mostly expecting is a revamp of the program to “Make Lunches Edible Again.” Taking virtually all the salt out of the menu items and pushing raw veggies while scaling back on meat or anything with any fat in it was a disaster in the making from the beginning. This was something I first started writing about nearly three years ago in terms of Michelle Obama’s War on Edible Food.

So, I guess ketchup will be considered a vegetable again. Have you eaten in a school cafeteria anytime recently? I have. Both before and after M Obama's efforts. They finally started having some good food during the last eight years. Stuff that wasn't filled with sodium.

 

[Wishbone]

They finally started having some good food during the last eight years.

So we should be concerned that the rats in the landfill are eating good?

 

[GURPS]

Have you eaten in a school cafeteria anytime recently? I have. Both before and after M Obama's efforts.

My wife works 3 days a week with the school hot lunch program at our daughters school .....
a Lunch the children look forward too .....

A private school NOT following the USDA crap ....

 

[awpitt]

My wife works 3 days a week with the school hot lunch program at our daughters school .....
a Lunch the children look forward too .....

A private school NOT following the USDA crap ....

Well then you wouldn't know the reality about the public school lunches. You've been fed stuff from the media, about school lunches, that just isn't true.

 

[Gilligan]

Well then you wouldn't know the reality about the public school lunches. .

Having three kids and two step kids go through St. Mary's public schools, I became quite familiar with the garbage they served up. It was not particularly good 20 years ago...and got much worse.

 

[black dog]

So, I guess ketchup will be considered a vegetable again. Have you eaten in a school cafeteria anytime recently? I have. Both before and after M Obama's efforts. They finally started having some good food during the last eight years. Stuff that wasn't filled with sodium.

You gotta be ####ing be kidding me, in the last eight years the schools have switched from fresh foods being cooked in each school to pre- packaged processed and fryed garbage that get heated up at school. About the only kids that eat it are the kids who's parents are too last to pack lunch or buy decent food at the grocery store that the child can pack themselves.

 

[awpitt]

Having three kids and two step kids go through St. Mary's public schools, I became quite familiar with the garbage they served up. It was not particularly good 20 years ago...and got much worse.

I've been aware of what they've been serving since the mid-90's my youngest graduates at the end of the month. They are serving much better food now than they were just ten years ago so I guess we'll just have to disagree.

 

[SamSpade]

Having three kids and two step kids go through St. Mary's public schools, I became quite familiar with the garbage they served up. It was not particularly good 20 years ago...and got much worse.

I have three of them there now. I'm not impressed. Thinking strongly about going to packing their lunches.

The problem schools - and parents - face is, it doesn't do you any good to give them a healthy lunch if they refuse to EAT it.
I can MAKE my kid eat broccoli or spinach at home, but if I send it with them to school, there's probably zero chance they'll eat it.

Same with public school lunches - you can give them the "healthy" food, but if they don't eat it, it might as well be unhealthy.
It doesn't matter if it passes inspection as being "good".

Me? Growing up, my mom always packed an apple or an orange. She'd be furious if she knew what I did with pretty much every single one she ever packed -
I twisted the brown bag with the fruit in it and tried for three points across the cafeteria. Usually missing.

I ate the snack, half a sandwich and held off until I got home. I wasn't going to eat anything I didn't like.

 

[Wishbone]

Can't say I blame them for throwing it away.

 

[awpitt]

You gotta be ####ing be kidding me, in the last eight years the schools have switched from fresh foods being cooked in each school to pre- packaged processed and fryed garbage that get heated up at school. About the only kids that eat it are the kids who's parents are too last to pack lunch or buy decent food at the grocery store that the child can pack themselves.

What schools have you actually been to and actually eaten lunch? Because I can tell you, what you describe has not been the case at the schools I'm involved with in St. Mary's.

 

[awpitt]

View attachment 118319
View attachment 118320
View attachment 118321

Can't say I blame them for throwing it away.

What schools are those pictures from? I can say, that's not what they look like here in St. Mary's.

 

[awpitt]

I have three of them there now. I'm not impressed. Thinking strongly about going to packing their lunches.

The problem schools - and parents - face is, it doesn't do you any good to give them a healthy lunch if they refuse to EAT it.
I can MAKE my kid eat broccoli or spinach at home, but if I send it with them to school, there's probably zero chance they'll eat it.

Same with public school lunches - you can give them the "healthy" food, but if they don't eat it, it might as well be unhealthy.
It doesn't matter if it passes inspection as being "good".

Me? Growing up, my mom always packed an apple or an orange. She'd be furious if she knew what I did with pretty much every single one she ever packed -
I twisted the brown bag with the fruit in it and tried for three points across the cafeteria. Usually missing.

I ate the snack, half a sandwich and held off until I got home. I wasn't going to eat anything I didn't like.

I'm not trying to say the schools are serving gourmet meals or anything like that. What do you expect for $2.35? But they're not serving crap either.

BTW, the twisted the brown bag with the fruit in it and trying for three points across the cafeteria does bring back memories. LOL

 

[vraiblonde]

It's a shame what we've become: a nation of so-called adults who no longer value nutrition and no longer encourage our kids to eat fruits and vegetables. If Oreos for lunch is what they want, then by god that's what they shall have. <whine> They won't eat anything else</whine>

Idiocracy.

 

[black dog]

What schools have you actually been to and actually eaten lunch? Because I can tell you, what you describe has not been the case at the schools I'm involved with in St. Mary's.

Lettie Dent, Margaret Brent and he is a senior at Chopticon this year.

 

[SamSpade]

It's a shame what we've become: a nation of so-called adults who no longer value nutrition and no longer encourage our kids to eat fruits and vegetables. If Oreos for lunch is what they want, then by god that's what they shall have. <whine> They won't eat anything else</whine>

Idiocracy.

(shrug)

We don't allow soda at our house and we have a policy of having a fruit bowl that always has fruit to eat in it. I try to keep it stocked with fruits they will actually eat.
It usually gets emptied. I'm pleased with the fact that my kids rarely ever get sick. They don't get chips and cookies except as dessert.
We have salad with meal at least once a week - the girls prefer it. They each asked for a taco salad this past weekend (sans actual tacos) which I made for them.

They are allowed to buy junk food with their own money that they earn by doing ad hoc chores - no "allowance". Strictly pay for play.

But they are also kids - if the school offers food they won't eat, they won't eat it.
Online says they bought it anyway, but my first clue is how hungry they are off the bus.
I can make them EAT vegetables, but I can't make them like them.

 

[vraiblonde]

What schools are those pictures from? I can say, that's not what they look like here in St. Mary's.

They're bull#### pics that activists have encouraged their children to gen up and blast out to social media. These photos have already been debunked a number of times but people believe what they want to believe.

My grandson's public school in Austin serves up some pretty good chow...and kids still throw it in the trash, just like we all did when I was a kid. If you don't make them eat something other than junk, they won't. Since nobody is there making kids eat their food, guess what?

It's not that the food is bad in public schools; it's that kids are kids. And apparently parents aren't getting them used to healthy eating choices at home, so they look at oranges slices like, "Ick, what's that???" and head immediately for the cookies.

 

[black dog]

I'm not trying to say the schools are serving gourmet meals or anything like that. What do you expect for $2.35? But they're not serving crap either.

BTW, the twisted the brown bag with the fruit in it and trying for three points across the cafeteria does bring back memories. LOL

You don't believe that a well rounded, fresh and good tasting lunch can't be bought for $ 2.35 ?
How about, Maybe the parents should stop subsidizing the 30 cent breakfast and the 40 cent lunch for the kids that their lazy parents that wouldn't get a job.
Maybe then they can cook enjoyable meals in the cafeteria..

 

[Gilligan]

I've been aware of what they've been serving since the mid-90's my youngest graduates at the end of the month. They are serving much better food now than they were just ten years ago so I guess we'll just have to disagree.

My oldest started in 1987. Youngest graduated in 2015.

I have seen far worse that St. Mary's though. And better too.