View Full Version : The School Lunch Scam
http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/page/30.html
The Food Lobby Goes to School - YouTube
Who determines what American kids eat each day?
To a large degree, it is the Federal Government. Congress and the Department of Agriculture approve what foods can (and can't) be served to over 30 million American school children who get daily meals from the National School Lunch Program.
The government gets a ton of pressure from a food and beverage industry frantic to keep kids hooked on a diet of sodas, snacks and hot dogs. The competition, for a piece of this $10 billion market, is particularly fierce right now because this year, the School Lunch Program is being reviewed and revised.
Despite the enormous nutritional and financial stakes at play, ANP was the only media to cover a recent panel set up to discuss the school menu. While nutritionists outnumbered the press, corporate lobbyists outnumbered everyone.
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xpleet
19-08-2009, 04:02 PM
Looks like delicious, guaranteed nutrient-free food.
And yet more hypocrisy!
What should we give the children to eat? :confused::eek::(;):mad:
How about let the schools decide or even better, let the (useless?)eaters' votes decide what hits the pan in the school kitchens.
And if they choose to eat junkfood then that's their choice and noone else could be blaimed.
lady_oblivion
19-08-2009, 05:56 PM
I'm not sure what its like in the states coco, but in the uk they have made huge improvemtns in school dinners, providing children with healtier meals. I was looking over the menis of the school my sonis going to an i would be happy for him to eat it, proper meals and no crap. Also if children are bringing lunches form home things like fizzy drinks, chocolate bars are a no no and also these things enrally arnt sold on school groups anyway.
There were no soda vending machines or snack cakes or general junk food in schools until I was in high school. Now I am amazed at how much corporate junk food invasion there is in schools. These kids are have all the snacks and junk food foisted at them in the lunchroom and hallways.
It's all about the dollar and further indoctrinating the young - as if they don't see enough adverts aimed squarely at them and all the convenience foods Mom buys at the store that are quick and easy to heat up or prepare with minimal labor.
I'm glad that UK schools offer better fare. I don't doubt that some US schools do but clearly it is an issue and has been one according to my young nieces who are in their mid twenties - they told me they always had junk food machines when they were in school.
Hell, when I was in school, we couldn't afford sodas all the time. I got free lunch,too. I wouldn't use my lunch ticket,though. It made me feel very self conscious. I hated to eat lunch at school. Thought everybody was looking at me. lmao!
Talk about paranoid!
But I'd clean out the kitchen at home! LMAO!
americana
19-08-2009, 11:16 PM
The National School Lunch program is a Federal Program providing free lunches and subsidized lunches at elementary through high schools, public, but also "not for profit" private schools throughout the USA. Who receives lunch is determined by the family's income, although if schools reach a certain percentage of kids who receive free lunch, everybody can receive it, regardless of their family's income.
Read about it HERE (http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/)
The meals are supposed to meat nutritional guidelines as far as fat and saturated fat. Read in detail HERE (http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/AboutLunch/NSLPFactSheet.pdf)
The National School Lunch Program also provides free COMMODITIES from the USDA and surplus commodities. I think that this aspect might be as important as others - - in that the commodities may be GM foods like canned corn. Also there is the Special Milk program . . . and ya wonder about the milk . . . don't suppose it's hormone-free.
I read an article in a local CT newspaper about the chef serving more locally grown foods as well as more fruits and vegetables, and I know that there is an effort in some school systems to do so and not just serve tater tots and hot dogs. PERHAPS we've come a long way since the school lunch program of the Reagan era, when ketchup was considered a vegetable.
http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/page/31.html
What happens when schools care
About this video
You may not agree with everything on the menu, but this is a vast improvement over the poison school children are fed every day all in the name of a buck.
Is it possible that the problems so many children and schools have these days are food related? Could it be that simple?
The trend today is to demonize children and young people: drug them, psychoanalyze them, treat them as potential criminals. This is very profitable for the drug companies and the prison-industrial complex.
What's your school district feeding the children in its care?
Healing Quest: Healthy School Lunches - YouTube
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Thank you for the information, Americana. :)
curtaincat
22-08-2009, 01:12 PM
when i was a kid at school, i just used to have Vegemite Sandwiches. I think that is pretty healthy. and tasty, that is if you like vegemite, lol. a lot of people hate vegemite, it is an aussie thing.
http://www.vegemite.com.au/vegemite/page?PagecRef=649&locale=auen1&siteid=vegemite-prd
Vegemite is tasty, yummy and full of vitamin B's.
lady_oblivion
22-08-2009, 01:33 PM
urmmmm vegimite(much like marmite) its lovely.
curtaincat
22-08-2009, 02:30 PM
urmmmm vegimite(much like marmite) its lovely.
yeah, its lovely!! especially on toast with cheese, onion and capsicum! and anything else ya like! Marmite is much the same, Promite is almost the same but a little bit sweeter. all these 'mites' spreads are full of vit b groups, they are a yeast extract.
these spreads should be in school lunches.
lady_oblivion
22-08-2009, 02:59 PM
My son likes it on toast for the mornings, urmm its really nice with cheese, will give your idea a go!Just a little bit. I think some schools have banned it due to hige salt content here, but its not as though you shove an intire pot on your sandwich................. I'm dreading school dins a little as my son has autism so hes very specific about what he will eat. I'm going to hav to tell the school, he only eats this so thas what will be in his lunches. I would love him to have the school dinners as they are incredibly well balanced but ya know, if he doesnt eat it he wont have anything throughout the day.
curtaincat
22-08-2009, 03:50 PM
My son likes it on toast for the mornings, urmm its really nice with cheese, will give your idea a go!Just a little bit. I think some schools have banned it due to hige salt content here, but its not as though you shove an intire pot on your sandwich................. I'm dreading school dins a little as my son has autism so hes very specific about what he will eat. I'm going to hav to tell the school, he only eats this so thas what will be in his lunches. I would love him to have the school dinners as they are incredibly well balanced but ya know, if he doesnt eat it he wont have anything throughout the day.
oh, that is awful that they ban it due to high salt content.... because the whole thing is that it is spread very thin! you just put a small amount on, less than butter even. you would not even put a quarter of a teaspoon spread on one slice of bread.
i think some people just don't know how to spread these 'mite' spreads. i love vegemite,but of course it has to be a small amount.
it is easy to lick a whole teaspoon of honey, but nobody could do that with vegemite, it is concentrated.
i think they are just trying to stop people having nice food in the right amounts.
how many people could eat a hundred carrots or cauliflowers? lol
it all comes down to not being stupid, i guess.
dude111
06-05-2012, 11:53 PM
Good video!!
I'm not sure what its like in the states coco, but in the uk they have made huge improvemtns in school dinners, providing children with healtier meals.Yea they probably taste like crap!!!
Im thankfull i was in school WHEN I WAS!!!! -- I loved the food....... It was quite good (70s and 80s) Pizza,Hamburgers were 2 of my favourite!
I feel bad for kids today,THEY HAVE GARBAGE COMPARED TO WHAT WE HAD @ THIER AGE......
tenzingnorgay
07-05-2012, 12:40 AM
Good video!!
Yea they probably taste like crap!!!
Im thankfull i was in school WHEN I WAS!!!! -- I loved the food....... It was quite good (70s and 80s) Pizza,Hamburgers were 2 of my favourite!
I feel bad for kids today,THEY HAVE GARBAGE COMPARED TO WHAT WE HAD @ THIER AGE......
Pizza IS garbage