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Soda, candy out under USDA’s proposed school snack rules
THE HILL
The Obama administration proposed regulations Friday that would prohibit U.S. schools from selling unhealthy snacks.
The 160-page regulation from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) would enact nutrition standards for “competitive” foods not included in the official school meal.
In practice, the proposed rules would replace traditional potato chips with baked versions and candy with granola. Regular soda is out, though high-schoolers may have access to diet versions.
“Although nutrition standards for foods sold at school alone may not be a determining factor in children’s overall diets, they are critical to providing children with healthy food options throughout the entire school day,” the proposed rule states.
“Thus, these standards will help to ensure that the school nutrition environment does all that it can to promote healthy choice, and help to prevent diet-related health problems.”
The rules are a product of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which also overhauled the nutritional make-up of regular school meals. They would apply to any school, public or private, that participates in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.
Those rules saw a backlash from conservative lawmakers who said students were going hungry as a result of calorie limits. A GOP House member famously compared the rules to “The Hunger Games.” The USDA eventually relaxed some guidelines in response.
MaryfromMarin
February 2nd, 2013
Now if they’d only ban empty-calorie classes and educational techniques, both of which are far more deleterious to student health and academic nutrition.
OpenTheDoor
February 2nd, 2013
I know, I’m old, just when did schools start allowing geedunk?
I still remember this from my 5th grade teacher:
A gum chewing boy/girl.
A cud chewing cow.
You can see the difference,
I don’t know how?
Oh yes, I see it now,
There is a thoughtful look,
On the face of the cow.
KF
February 2nd, 2013
And this ridiculous exercise in over-regulation is being driven by a wman who’s main skill in the area of nutrition is being able to eat an 8 pound lobster in under 2 minutes.
Back to the bull of collective responsibility. If a kid is overweight it’s obviously not their fault or their parents fault. Let’s make all the kids eat gravel while the kids at Sidwell get food from a 5 star catering company.
Boobie the Rocket Dog
February 2nd, 2013
What has the result been of prohibition every time it’s been tried?
Smuggling.
Hanoverfist
February 2nd, 2013
Show me were:
http://usconstitution.com/constitution
Tim
February 2nd, 2013
It’s far past time for the states to invoke the 10th and tell these asshats to pound sand.
Why is the whole country cowering before these criminals?
reddecaesari
February 2nd, 2013
vouchers and home school.
only way to be sure……….
Mrs Compton
February 2nd, 2013
At least the little darlings are now seeing what they’re in for first hand.
The Mad German
February 2nd, 2013
Good thing academically these innercity schools are flourishing or we might have to start thinking about education or teaching as the problem.
While the USDA is at it, pass the same damn laws for the welfare EBT cheats.
Dr. Tar
February 2nd, 2013
The Empire Strikes Snacks
Stranded in Sonoma
February 2nd, 2013
I’m with @Boobie on this. Pretty soon you’ll see kids bringing six-packs of real soft drinks from home and selling them to their classmates at higher prices. Just today, I bought a 36 pack of 7-Up from Costco for $9. That works out to 25 cents a can. Some kid will nab a few of those from home and sell them at school for a buck a piece. Which will probably be cheaper than the diet crap the gov’t will sell. He’ll make $4.50 if he keeps one of the six pack for himself. Then you’ll have some school administrator banning the selling of contraband soft drinks on school grounds. So the kids will make their sales across the street off of school grounds. However, the sale of marijuana will continue unchecked.
You can see how this is going to escalate to nothing good.
Tim
February 2nd, 2013
Back in the 60s we lived in a “dry” county in Mississippi. We children would go across the county line, find a nice 21 y/o to buy us some beer, give him one for payment, I think it was $1.25 / 6 pack, carry it back across the line and sell it at the A&W parking lot for 50 cnts / can.
If a friggin 9 y/o can figure this out …
Unneutral
February 2nd, 2013
Yep, once the asswipes in government have control over health care, the sky is the limit.
It is not ‘obamacare’….it is in fact ‘obamacontrol’.
Ty Coon
February 2nd, 2013
@KF “a wman who’s main skill in the area of nutrition is being able to eat an 8 pound lobster in under 2 minutes”. Now that was damn funny.
RickeyG
February 2nd, 2013
So what happens when kids develop health problems from the artificial sweeteners and nut or soy allergies?
Stranded in Sonoma
February 2nd, 2013
@RickeyG — Yeah, since the gov’t can claim that under ObamaTax, they’re not existing conditions.