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I'm older than most of you, so I can remember when it was proposed that ketchup would count as a vegetable. It was the 80s, and I think it was the state of NJ, not the feds. Would have to check on that, though. The media had a field day with that one.
I'm older than most of you, so I can remember when it was proposed that ketchup would count as a vegetable. It was the 80s, and I think it was the state of NJ, not the feds. Would have to check on that, though. The media had a field day with that one.
MQ--I think that I am even older than you are, and I distinctly recall the incident that stemmed from the Reagan Administration's attempts to "cheap out" on Federal aid for school lunches by counting ketchup as a vegetable, thereby allowing them to delete a real vegetable from the menu.
No, it was not an issue specific to the state of NJ, and was actually a national issue, as a result of a very questionable policy decision on the part of The Gipper's administration.
Last edited by Retriever; 05-30-2012 at 05:12 PM..
the problem is they still offer the pizza next to the healthy food. Jamie Oliver's 1st season of his TV show when they were in Virginia showed that if you educate kids on what they are eating, they will, in fact, make better choices. The arguments used by the schools is because they resist change, just like almost everyone else does.
Actually, it was West Virginia, which is also the state with the highest incidence of childhood obesity AND Type 2 Diabetes. That is why Oliver decided to make West Virginia the location for the first episodes of his program.
And, I'm sure you will recall that the "lunch ladies" at that WV school initially fought him tooth and nail about switching from frozen junk food to fresh ingredients that required actual preparation and cooking.
I guess I'm old fashioned, I have 4 children and I never once or did my wife EVER think on choosing a town to live in based on what the schools lunch was. We put a small sandwich in a bag and sent them to school. I guess in the name of political correctness I better see whats on the menu at school before I try to sell my house if i'm asked. By the way, they are all normal weight and graduated college and are doing fine.
I really wish that it would go back to every parent having to send in a lunch and snack and eat breakfast at home. It would save MILLIONS of dollars. As a teacher, I see how much of it goes to waste and it just breaks my heart knowing that the food could be given to someone else.
My aide and I sometimes take some of the unwanted fruits and veggies home and give the unopened cartons of milk to people we know with children. We're not really supposed to do that, but I just can't stand seeing so much go to waste.
My aide and I sometimes take some of the unwanted fruits and veggies home and give the unopened cartons of milk to peopl
The way people dislike teachers on here you might be reported for grand larceny and they hope you'll get 10 years in jail for choosing that profession. I agree with you, it's better than throwing it in the garbage.
My aide and I sometimes take some of the unwanted fruits and veggies home and give the unopened cartons of milk to people we know with children. We're not really supposed to do that, but I just can't stand seeing so much go to waste.
My kids school has an unwanted food table that is used as a quiet way of getting food to the kids that don't come with lunch and don't have the funds to buy lunch either which unfortunately happens. A sad truth but a dignified way to help them out.
I guess I'm old fashioned, I have 4 children and I never once or did my wife EVER think on choosing a town to live in based on what the schools lunch was. We put a small sandwich in a bag and sent them to school. I guess in the name of political correctness I better see whats on the menu at school before I try to sell my house if i'm asked. By the way, they are all normal weight and graduated college and are doing fine.
That is really all you need as well; sandwich, drink, and a piece of fruit.
The way people dislike teachers on here you might be reported for grand larceny and they hope you'll get 10 years in jail for choosing that profession. I agree with you, it's better than throwing it in the garbage.
FWIW, the USDA is the one pushing for better nutritional regulations, it is the schools and food producers fighting back through Congress to amend the proposed changes.
No, the pizza thing didn't have to do with health, but there was more to it then just lobbying by the pizza makers. The tomato paste used on pizza has always been counted as a "vegetable" under the school lunch guidelines. This made it so that a slice of pizza could be served and considered to satisfy the "minimum nutritional needs". Pizza has become one of the most affordable and popular lunch options that schools have. What the schools were concerned about was the cost of having to add actual vegetables to go along with the pizza to meet the standards.
That is ultimately the 'other' side of the debate, cost at the district level for serving an improved menu, especially when the improved menus aren't very popular among the kids. My kid's school actually publishes the "buy rate" for the lunches they serve. It would seem that in my son's school (and I'm guessing many other suburban districts) pizza is far and away the most popular lunch choice. The least popular is anything the rest of us would consider to be a healthy and balanced lunch. The districts weren't too happy at the prospect of having to add expensive vegetables to every pizza meal just to watch them end up in the trash as they most likely do.
We're going to disagree it seems.
The USDA mandates are nonsensical and nothing to do with better nutritional regulations based on science. Case in point - they FORCE kids to take multiple grain servings and starches. Which means serving extra slices of bread alongside of a serving of potatoes (defined as a vegetable irrespective of nutritional value). The bread goes in the garbage and the kids get fat on mounds of refined starches but hey, the farmers made out by selling their already subsidized product. So Yay!
And yes, of course kids will pick pizza over something healthier. That's what adults are there for. Not to define pizza as healthy and tomato paste as a vegetable in order to bypass the regulations and keep kids compliant, but to act like grown ups and actually serve and mandate healthier options. Guess what, take away the garbage and hungry kids will in fact eat better options if that is the only choice there is. It's not rocket science but it does require grown ups to act like grown ups and not allow kids to bring themselves up.
Getting rid of the sporks and having usable cutlery might be helpful too.
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We put a small sandwich in a bag and sent them to school. I guess in the name of political correctness I better see whats on the menu at school before I try to sell my house if i'm asked.
My aide and I sometimes take some of the unwanted fruits and veggies home and give the unopened cartons of milk to peopl
I agree with you, it's better than throwing it in the garbage.
