First lady Michelle Obama is continuing to question Republicans who want to roll back some of the key provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, telling a group of medical journalists on Wednesday "We're not even thinking about the possibility of rolling back because we just can't afford for that to happen."
The first lady said school nutrition has improved for the first time in 30 years and that 90% of schools are currently in compliance.
"You reach 90% success or completion – would you ever think well, let’s just stop now and start all over again because we've got 10% left to do?" she asked. "That's where we are right now and that's just unacceptable.”
“These standards are critical to the ultimate success of a generation of young people."
The House Appropriations Committee announced last month plans to let cash-strapped schools opt-out of the nutrition regulations via waiver. The change would come through the 2015 agriculture spending bill.
Read - Michelle Obama challenges Republicans over child nutrition law
More on the politics of school lunch
Previously:
Tom Colicchio talks childhood hunger
Hungry at the holidays
Cafeteria workers win right to eat expired food at their own risk
It's good to see some serious action against kids hunger but the question that matters is how practical it would be and how other nations would receive it?
It would be so nice if she would just go home and stop imposing her beliefs on everyone else. It may be called the "hunger free" act, but the law's insistence on limiting calories for active teen athletes and requirements to serve food no one will eat has actually caused hunger as school lunches have become unappetizing and unacceptable.
I can't remember school lunches EVER being appetizing.
That being said, there is no real true consensus out there on the healthiest food plans to follow. The nutritious path I follow, for instance, differs in certain ways from the Food Pyramid and the My Plate ideas.
Reblogged this on notyourordinaryfoodblog and commented:
I'm relieved to see that we're standing up for what is right. Most politicians are just out there trying to help huge corporations make more money. This just goes to show how important our nutrition is becoming. Congressman are trying to lower the standards of organics. Along with this the United States has limited laws about GMO's added to our food and on top of that those GMO's don't have to be listed on the ingredients label. I have such a deep desire and passion to help change all the standards preventing our food from being the best it can truly be. It is truly beneficial to have influential leaders such as our first lady helping out with nutritional standards.