Newsmax - U.S. Department of Agriculture figures indicate that after 30 years of steady growth in the National School Lunch Program, student participation is down all across the country.
And the School Nutrition Association, which represents 55,000 school nutritionists nationwide, attributes the drop to the new nutrition standards championed by first lady Michelle Obama and instituted by the USDA in 2012.
Participation peaked in 2010 and 2011 at 31.8 million students, but in 2013 it dropped to 30.7 million and in 2014 it decreased again to 30.4 million, according to the USDA. That means it has dropped by 1.4 million students since its peak.
In fact, participation in 2014 was down in every state except Delaware, Florida, and North Dakota compared to 2011, according to USDA data released on June 5.
"More than one million fewer students choose school lunch each day, thwarting the goal of promoting healthier diets for all students," the SNA said. "School lunch revenue is down and food waste is up."
The new standards require school lunches to contain more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, ban whole milk, and reduce the number of calories in a meal.
Many students find the new lunches unpalatable and toss items in the trash. The SNA points to a study showing that the mandate to serve a fruit or vegetable with each meal results in about $3.8 million worth of produce being thrown in the trash each day.
Another study, this one by the Harvard School of Public Health, revealed that "students discarded roughly 60 to 75 percent of the vegetables and 40 percent of the fruits on their tray.
5 comments:
News Max is not even close to a creatable source.
The stats seem to come from Obama's Dept of Agriculture, no matter who reports them. Sorry if that upset the part of the Democrats who hate anyone who doesn't drink their kool-aid. We know we live in a world where outlets that support an administration won't report news that the administration doesn't want. So, sometimes if you want more than just the kool-aid, you have to check other news sources.
And, is it really surprising that despite the enforcement of ObamaLunch and its decrees as to what people eat, that kids don't like their vegetables?
When I was teaching elementary school in the late 1950's, kids also threw out a lot of lunches, even those brought from home.
There were subsidies of fruits and vegetables in those days and most veggies hit the trash.
some things never change.
Look I know Obama is a Center/Right Corporatist and all that, which is why I didn't vote for him or anyone for President these past two elections, so it's not about 'drinking the Kool-Aid'.
But NewsMax is on the same journalistic level as Der Sturmer. If they printed it, it's at the very best a distorted half truth.
Sugar, fat, salt, carbs, fatty meats, these are the addictive ingredients in foods that the body craves out of proportion in terms of actual need.
In fact you can adjust to more simple plain foods and enjoy them, to enjoy raw foods which are full of enzymes and vitamins.
It is possible to cook healthy foods and make them tasty but the vast majority have NO clue how to make healthy foods tasty. It is by the usage of healthy condiments.
A little healthy fat in cooked food, a very little salt, nutritional yeast, careful usage of spices and mild to hot peppers, Bragg's condiments are very good.
It is a shame that the powers to be are not smart enough to find the right cooks to set up the school lunch program meals and cooking with the good condiments. I can do it my wife can do it, sadly very few of the "health" cooking cooks know how to make healthy food tasty, regular cooks nave zero idea of how to do so.
The secret to good tasty food is using healthy condiments.
Otherwise load on the sugar that equals diabetes.
Load on the salt that equals high blood pressure and other health problems such as kidney damage.
Load on the fatty toxic meats which increases cancer and heart disease etc.
Load on the carbs which causes obesity and often many other problems because of Gluten etc.
Choices, it is all choices. Don't let some one else make your choices for you. Those who eat unhealthy and live unhealthy lifestyles have a special price they have to pay.....
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