The new guidelines — the first major overhaul of school meals in 15 years — also require cafeterias to serve less fat and sodium and more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.The calorie maximums were clearly made by idiot government bureaucrats too as they are basically one size fits all and cover many ages in one category. For K-5, which covers kids aged 5-10, the calorie maximum is 650 calories for lunch. The average weight of a 5 year old boy is 41 pounds, while the average weight of a 10 year old is 70.4 pounds, so a kid grows 72% bigger and yet isn't allowed any more food! It gets better, those in grades 6-8, which covers kids aged 11-13, only get 50 calories more. Yup, 13 year olds who are now on average around 100 pounds, 143% bigger than a 5 year old, only get 50 calories more! For high school, they are allowed 850 calories. The average 18 year old is 150 pounds, which means that they are almost 4 times bigger than a 5 year old, yet only get 200 more calories for lunch. Given that over 55% of high school students play some sort of sport, its pretty clear they need many more calories than what is allowed. These guidelines just defy any sort of common sense.
Linda O’Connor, an English teacher at Wallace County High School, penned the “We Are Hungry” parody after a colleague, Brenda Kirkham, posted a photo of her school lunch on Facebook and sparked dozens of outraged comments.
The lunch included one cheese-stuffed bread stick, a small dollop of marinara sauce, three apple slices and some raw spinach. Kirkham supplemented the lunch with items from a salad bar, including cubes of ham, bacon bits and dressing, which were available only to teachers.
“I asked why the sauce had no meat and I was informed that due to the breadsticks containing cheese, the meat would put us over the guidelines for protein,” Kirkham wrote.
“Now think of a high school boy who works out at least three hours a day, not including farm work. … I’m furious. The ‘cheese’ inside the breadstick is approximately three bites. This is ridiculous.”
In past weeks, students in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and St. Mark’s school near Colwich have organized brown-bag protests, packing their own lunches instead of buying school meals.
Huelskamp and Rep. Steve King, a Republican from Iowa, have introduced a bill that would repeal the calorie maximums imposed by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which won congressional approval in 2010.
Huelskamp said the new lunch guidelines are “a perfect example of what is wrong with government: misguided inputs, tremendous waste and unaccomplished goals.”
He also opposes rules that require students to take servings of a fruit or vegetable at lunch, regardless of whether they plan to eat it.
“If every member of Congress would actually go into a school cafeteria and take a look at the trash can, they’d see that what sounds good on paper doesn’t always work out like you think,” Huelskamp said.
Tell me again why the federal government is messing with what local schools can serve for lunch? Shouldn't the parents and school board decide something like that?
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