Junk Food in Schools: Is It Time for a Change?
http://fallschurch.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/junk-food-in-schools-is-it-time-for-a-change

Goodbye chocolate bars and potato chips in public schools. The federal government has unveiled an initiative seeking to ensure the nation’s students will have healthier food options during the school day.

Do you support healthier food options in public schools?

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Thursday under the new USDA “Smart Snacks in School” nutrition standards, schools will offer students healthy options throughout school cafeterias, vending machines and snack bars.

The agency is promoting more whole grains, low fat dairy, fruits, vegetable and leaner protein. The plan only affects foods sold during the school day and not at after-school sports events or special fundraisers.

For example, foods now must have 0 grams of trans fats and no more than 10 percent of total calories from saturated fat (except for reduced fat cheese, nuts, seeds and dried food products, among a few others).

Goodbye donuts and chocolate bars under the new system and hello light popcorn, low-fat tortilla chips and granola bars.

Entrée items can be no more than 350 calories and snack items and side dishes must have no more than 200 calories per item. Additionally, a grain product must have at least 50 percent whole grains by weight.

Elementary and middle school foods and beverages must be caffeine free, although high schoolers are allowed caffeine.

Additionally, drinking water must be made available to children at no charge where lunch is being served.

I do not support healthier foods in the schools.

FCPS Food Services (until now a not-for-profit self-supporting entity) will probably start needing external financial assistance (nee tax money) as fewer and fewer students buy their decreasingly-desirable food offerings. Essentially ALL of that "descreasing desirability" has come about due to attempts to create healthier food (of course some cost-cutting, like not cooking food onsite, has also added to that).

Healthy food? Sounds great until it's put into practice and you find out your food is wonderfully healthy but doesn't have anyone eating it.

Out of 1,100 meals kids have every year, they have 180 at school - assuming they have perfect attendance and don't bring a bag lunch. The problem lies with family eating habits. Coercive utopian food police should just worry about their own meals and butt out of everyone else's.

Ok, for the last damn time.

Kids are NOT fat because of their lousy diets. Kids have ALWAYS had lousy diets.

The difference is today they spend way too much time sitting on their fat asses playing video games, watching TV, and dicking around on facebook.

I'm glad they're doing this. My kids will make a fortune selling candy bars and potato chips on the black market.