This just in from the Food Police Chronicles ….
A state employee required a preschooler at West Hoke Elementary in Raeford, North Carolina on January 30, 2012 to eat chicken nuggets during lunch because her lunch brought from home was not nutritious enough.
The child’s lunch contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, a banana, potato chips, and apple juice.
The state agent decided that the girl’s lunch did not meet USDA guidelines and required that the child be given a “healthier” alternative. Â Furthermore, the state agent apparently inspected all the children’s lunches that day in the four year old classroom. Â No word if other children were asked to eat chicken nuggets as well.
USDA guidelines mandate that all children’s lunches contain one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetables even if the lunch comes from home. Â The Division of Child Development and Early Education at the Department of Health and Human Services requires child care providers to supplement children’s lunches with whatever compulsory items are missing.
The mother of the child who ate the three chicken nuggets, who prefers anonymity fearing retaliation, said she received a note from the school warning her that her child’s lunch was not nutritious enough and that noncompliance in the future could result in fees from the school cafeteria.
Since when are industrially processed chicken nuggets (aka “pink goo”) fried in genetically modified, rancid vegetable oils and nuked in a microwave healthier than a turkey and cheese sandwich and a banana brought from home?
School cafeterias don’t even qualify as real kitchens in most cases as cafeteria workers only have access to giant microwaves that quickly heat up the overly processed, factory fat laden, genetically modifed, agricultural dumping ground food they serve.
Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, says that bureaucratic rules require that schools buy food only from the cheapest bidder.
The sad truth is that only the cheapest, most nutritionless, most highly processed garbage food makes the cut for the school lunch program.
Many parents are choosing to pack their children’s lunches until better food is served at school, but apparently these efforts are being thwarted by the Food Police who are determining that homepacked meals are not up to snuff.
This story is yet another outrageous overstep by an overly aggressive, nanny style government increasingly insistent on raising our children according to its own standards while ignoring our own.
Only a lawsuit is going to stop this sort of thing from progressing and getting worse in the future. Hopefully, this mother can gather her courage and file a legal complaint immediately to force these overzealous government workers back in their bureaucratic box.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
I decided to homeschool because I disagree with standardized testing for young children and this is just the icing on the cake.
i agree…this only makes me want to homeschool the kids even more…there is a documentary on netflix about french schools…..they are going more and more towards organic lunches…and they have always been staffed by real chefs….making amazing food..serving it on real plates and teaching kids to use real utensils…its a very serious thing over there for them to eat good food and have good nutrition for their kids….teaching them table manners as well…..why cant we have that here!!!!
true but their tax rate is 75% and they are bankrupt. we have to be the chefs as parents and not have the government pay for it.
It all stems from the govt believing they know what’s best for OUR children.
Unreal
@Kellie I am sure you are right about that!
This type of thing is only going to rocket the homeschool movement to a higher level.
I would be livid!
This is an outrage. No parental consent was given for that child to eat the school food. Makes me think what else they will try to get away with and only tell the parents after the fact.
Vaccines.
I am surprised that so far NOBODY seems mad that the school searched through this little girl’s things. They Inspected. Her. Food. WHAT??!! Why is it that a child walking through the school’s doors equals her giving up her right to privacy? Nowhere else except prisons or mental institutions can they just inspect your things without permission.
very true! fourth amendment violation. children have rights too.
At one point a few years back, community gardens run by schools (in Chicago) grew a lot of vegetables and they wanted to sell them to the schools for lunch. You know, healthy full circle…kids eat more if they are invested in the growing of the vege’s, etc. Sounded like a great idea and full of common sense. However, the powers that be decided that was not right – they said there was no quality control on the vege’s and all the food had to be shipped from the central warehouse. I’m not sure what the resolution of this was, in the end.
This is not the first time this kinda stuff has happened.