Sunday, February 3, 2013

The 160-page regulation from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) would enact nutrition standards for "competitive" foods not included in the official school meal

Second-Term Crackdown on School Lunches... - The Hill

The rules are a product of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which also overhauled the nutritional make-up of regular school meals. They would apply to any school, public or private, that participates in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.

Those rules saw a backlash from conservative lawmakers who said students were going hungry as a result of calorie limits. A GOP House member famously compared the rules to "The Hunger Games." The USDA eventually relaxed some guidelines in response.

Let's Stop! Michelle Abandons LET'S MOVE Campaign - white house dossier

First Lady Michelle Obama appears to have abandoned, at least for now, her oft-criticized “Let’s Move” initiative to promote exercise and healthy eating among the nation’s youth, halting public appearances and statements related to the program....

Michelle’s exit from the Let’s Move campaign coincided with growing reports and a widely circulated satirical video alleging that the new food guidelines were leaving children hungry. The bad publicity clashed with President Obama’s efforts to stir support among young voters for his candidacy. Many of Obama’s campaign events were held at high schools – presumably among students who might have been attending rallies on relatively empty stomachs.

Let’s Move was also proving a juicy target for Republicans, who alleged Michelle’s food strictures promoted a “Nanny State” that intruded on free choice and personal responsibility.

But the Left also had unkind words for Mrs. Obama’s initiatives, accusing her of focusing on exercise while failing to aggressively take on the powerful food industry.