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GOP sees food fight as kids trash USDA fruit, vegetable guidelines
The Hill ^ | October 19, 2012 | Pete Kasperowicz

Posted on 10/20/2012 4:46:38 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

House Republicans say new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines aimed at forcing students to eat fruits and vegetables are a failure because students across the country are simply tossing the healthy fare into the trash.

"[T]here remains great concern with the amount of food waste generated at school cafeterias, much of it brought on by requiring students to take fruits and vegetables rather than simply offer them," Reps. John Kline (R-Minn.), Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) and Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) told USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in a letter sent Thursday.

"This is a waste of federal, state and local funds and is contrary to the law's goal of feeding as many low-income and hungry children as possible," they said. "Once again, we are aware USDA has attempted to address this situation by allowing greater choice in reimbursable meals, but students should not have to take additional food if they have no intention of eating it."

Republicans have been criticizing USDA school lunch guidelines for the last few months, in particular USDA rules that set maximum-calorie guidelines for all meals subsidized by taxpayers. Last month, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) introduced the No Hungry Kids Act, which would repeal these calorie restrictions.

The three GOP members hit on that issue again in their letter this week.

Specifically, they wrote that while a committee in the Institute of Medicine found that the 850-calorie maximum for high schoolers is "appropriate for the level of physical activity of most children," there have been reports of athletes "going hungry a few hours after lunch" because of this limit.

"While we appreciate that USDA has attempted to provide leeway to school officials wishing to calculate the calorie maximum as an average over the week, these minor adjustments are poor substitutes to the major changes needed to meet the diverse needs of students," they wrote.

USDA has defended the guidelines by saying they only apply to taxpayer-subsidized meals, and said schools can still sell items like cheeseburgers.

Kline, Noem and Roe told Vilsack that USDA has failed to address how states will pay for the $3.2 billion cost of complying with the rules.

The three members asked Vilsack to answer a series of questions about its guidelines, including what assistance USDA is providing to help schools comply with the rule, whether USDA will try to evaluate the rule as it is implemented and whether financial assistance will be offered to schools trying to comply with it.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bullystate; calories; children; eatyourpeas; education; gop; guidelines; health; johnkline; kristinoem; nannystate; nutrition; obesity; philroe; publicschool; schoollunch; tomvilsack; usda
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To: turn_to

Let them get fat and die prematurely. More stuff for the rest of us.


21 posted on 10/20/2012 6:12:43 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Obama should change his campaign slogan to "Yes, we am!" Sounds as stupid as his administration is.)
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To: upchuck

I was told that for the coke machine being available to children and only having soda in it, a monetary fine. I don’t know about any other penalties for non-compliance; however, they hired someone to manage the school lunch program to ensure compliance, so it had to be significant.


22 posted on 10/20/2012 6:16:12 PM PDT by tbw2
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Actually it is really Moo’s backdoor scheme to reduce the population of children in this country .... just starve them if they get past the abortion gate! Sort of like Bloomberg’s population control .... if they get past the abortion gate, starve them if their mother doesn’t want or can’t breast feed them.


23 posted on 10/20/2012 6:19:33 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (The law of unintended consequences is an unforgiving and vindictive b!tch!)
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To: SpaceBar
Quite right.

If you haven't, check out Hillsdale’s Constitution 201. This week's lecture, without exactly saying so, describes the tyranny that is America 2012.

A hundred years after Woodrow Wilson, there really is no reason to vote for Congressmen or Senators. Despite Article I Section 1 of our Constitution, the lawgivers are in the administrative State and untouchable by the voters.

24 posted on 10/20/2012 6:29:59 PM PDT by Jacquerie (Exterminate rats.)
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To: tbw2

My sister-in-law teaches at a private school and they serve anything they want.


25 posted on 10/20/2012 6:46:02 PM PDT by goldi
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

I’ve tasted “Michelle Obama” stype wheat crust pizza from the school. It is pure crap and enough to make one swear off pizza forever.


26 posted on 10/20/2012 7:24:52 PM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Thanks for the ping!


27 posted on 10/20/2012 7:44:41 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: muawiyah

The white bread and pizza of old would do a number on these kids also. Wheat is wheat.


28 posted on 10/20/2012 10:00:16 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Obama should change his campaign slogan to "Yes, we am!" Sounds as stupid as his administration is.)
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To: GeronL

Nor do I.


29 posted on 10/21/2012 12:46:41 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

How about the parents feed their kids rather than the taxpayers. If they can’t afford to feed them, then they shouldn’t have had them.


30 posted on 10/21/2012 1:02:23 AM PDT by meyer (It's 1860 all over again - the taxpayer is the new "N" word)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

This entire thing irritates the hell out of me because I was an underweight child all through school.

This one size fits all approach is stupidity,pure and simple.

.


31 posted on 10/21/2012 7:04:32 AM PDT by Mears
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