Since M. Obama holds no official government position, was not elected to any official office, and is a hypocrite, there is no need for any public institution to abide by her personal attempt at hubris. We need to just put her back in her Marxist cage and go about our normal routine.

I'm not exactly sure what qualifies you to comment on Patch Laura, seeing as you don't design web apps.

Have any of you actually seen what is served as school lunches these days? Do you have any idea the kind of crap the food service is preparing for your kids (I'll give you a hint: chicken fingers, poppers, hamburgers, french fries and ice cream!). Any kind of nutritious eating a parent may try to promote at home (or at least tries to promote) gets wiped away in 45 minutes by the food service operation. It's a shame & I'm glad at least Mrs. Obama is trying to do something about it.

For many years the first ladies of the United States have traditionally chosen a cause to champion, a problem that they hope to improve using the visibility of the Office of the First Lady. Mrs. Obama has chosen children's health - partially represented by exercise and healthy eating combating childhood obesity.

With just a few recent examples we have Mrs. Lady Bird Johnson promoting highway beautificaiton and environmental causes, Mrs. Nancy Reagan had the "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign, Laura Bush encourged childhood literacy, and Betty Ford brought breast cancer out of the shadows and women's addiction - the Betty Ford Clinic.

These ladies chose important causes not related to one party or the other and stepped out to do what they could, not because they were specialists in the area they chose, but because they believed in something that was important personally and to the people of the United States.

It is too bad that politics has gotten so nasty that a cause like children's health can bring out name-calling and political prejudices.

No name calling here... I just would like to hear verification that someone involved in this change knows something about nutrition. I remember when the government was about to put pink slime in school lunches....and as a proponent of healthy school lunches, Mrs. Obama said exactly nothing on that subject. It just didn't sit right with me that she could be wanting to make school lunches healthier, but seemed to overlook that one particular facet because it would indirectly go against something her husband was allowing to happen. (Now the government has since back-tracked and won't be putting pink slime in the school lunches...but when the issue first came to light - Mrs. Obama was silent.)

I do think healthy school lunches is a good idea...however, I'm not a fan of First Ladies creating policy. It's one thing to cheer on a cause; another to "introduce new standards". First Ladies' husbands were elected to offices - not them. I have always felt that way. And if we had a woman President, I would feel the same way about her husband creating policy. That's just me. If my husband has a job, I doubt my opinions would be welcome at his next meeting with his boss just b/c I am married to him, you know?

This is necessary due to the fact that parents don't seem to care about their own health, let alone their children's. One of the issues is follow up. If they don't incorporate whole grains, who will know? It is similar to the State Mandate for Physical Education. Many schools don't follow that mandate.

I am a cook with a local school. The children throw away all of the fruits and vegetables we put on their trays. They are eating only the popcorn chicken, pizza, and french fries. These are the items that are unhealthy, and these foods have not been eliminated. Even though we are required by law to measure the components on their tray, the kids are allowed to buy "double" lunches anyway! In addition, there is no limit as to what ever junk they decided to buy from the ala carte area. These items are baked potato chips (still unhealthy), cheese doodles, doritos, cookies, muffins, etc. So, tell me how adding more fruit and veggies that they don't eat is going to help childhood obesity....it's not! I would love to post a picture of the garbage cans at school....full of all of the healthy stuff! Moms/dads should send in their own lunches!

The Government has no business in telling people what they can and cannot eat. We don't need another idiot in the White House like the Mayor (Emperor) of New York City. The primary cause of childhood obesity is simple. Fat parents. Take a look around and you will see my point. As long as these kids are enabled by their obese parents, they too are doomed to obesity.

And I know for those of us who have been telling ourselves that we pack our kids a healthy lunch (usually they only bought once or at most twice a week) _ an awful lot of "trading" goes on as well as saving up change for those snacks!

The professionals that I consult about diabetes, diet and exercise say most of their patients don't take it as seriously as I do until after a scare, like organ damage. My HA1C is down to 5.7 with just diet and exercise and my scares was finding out that my grandmother, aunt, uncles, and cousin all had type 2 diabetes.

My cousin, who was also a nurse never successfully dealt with her diabetes and obesity and is no longer with us.

I have our kids bring their own Lunch

The vendors that make school lunches are also the same vendors that provide food for the jail system. It's the same veal parmesan, burgers, buns, spaghetti and meatballs, 100% parmesan cheeze (right), sauce, pizza, bread, yellow, pudding, etc. Your kids are eating the same stuff. No wonder some of these kids are starting to look like inmates. Check it out.

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Worldwide-Food-Services-WFSV-in-Talks-With-Penitentiary-Supplier-1294263.htm

... and the FDA knows what's best to feed kids, so eat your pink slime: http://news.yahoo.com/usda-defends-decision-pink-slime-school-lunches-182400391.html

When former first lady Nancy Reagan started her 'just say no' to drugs announcements, that was a good thing. This announcement is also just as important because your eating habits affect your long term health. The problem with junk food is that at a young age, the body is so resistant and more able to repair any damages inflicted. As you age, it loses that ability and poor eating begins to take its toll. Why not push for this kind of healthy eating for long term health benefits into adulthood? It's a great idea!

My response is: Why even give kids the "choice" of un-nutritious food at school? They're kids! They don't get to choose to drink, smoke, or do other unhealthy activities, so why do we provide this cumulatively life-threatening choice in schools who ought to promote healthy living. It just makes no sense to me.

As for the prison food being served in schools- the kids should be so lucky. If a kid is on reduced lunch they get the USDA approved lunch (that means the one that's been spoken about in the article). If the kid is NOT on reduced lunch (which, for most Ridgewood residents, these are you kids) the fried food lunch line is OPEN, so long as they can pay. From what I understand, this WILL NOT change, even with the new rules. So again, all your upper-income, whole foods, farmers market organic cooking you may do at home home, unless there is a blanket ban on crap, your kid WILL be eating french fries, chicken fingers & chips for lunch.

Children's eating habits start from the home. I believe it's the parents responsibility to teach their child/children good eating habits. Children learn and pick up habits (good and bad) from their parents .

I agree. Have you noticed how the reactions of too many adults (including commenters) depend upon the status of the person who said it, rather than what the person actually said? Many do not weigh and evaluate the comment objectively, but knee-jerk their way through life. Humans may be standing upright, but there sure is room for emotional development.

some of you people are just crazy and this proves how close minded people are. whether you like michele obama or not- how can anyone think trying to make childrens lunches healthier possibly be a bad thing?
im not fan of government intervention however child obesity is a major problem in the US. if the schools and parents did a better job- and the schools didnt look at food as a money maker, government would not have to step in

Ideas so good, that they need to be mandated....nothing like the soft tyranny of the feds! Can't the parents/kids decide what to eat?

I am glad to see there is an ATTEMPT of providing somewhat nutritious food regardless of who's spear-heading this campaign. And yes parents should lead the way of teaching nutritional value - make their lunches each morning, don't complain about the food. What I would like to know is WHY do the kids get to buy a snack after only finishing half their meal??????? Why does the school district provide snacks for purchase in the first place????? Potato Chips and Ice-cream should not be in school for purchase. I find it funny that the parents provide the $ so their kids could buy these treats....... It's hysterical that we cannot bring in cupcakes for a celebration, but the kids can buy cheeto's EVERYDAY! I agree with "you people"

Fabulous....amen

Although Mrs. Obama is not a nutritionist, she apparently has some common sense. Some children in our Hillsborough schools eat chicken nuggets and hamburgers everyday for lunch - hardly acceptable. We also have sugared drinks in vending machines in the cafeterias.
If more parents made an effort to teach their children healthy eating habits and set the example at home, outsiders like Mrs. Obama would stay out of our business!
That said, a munchkin once in a while, as a treat, never killed anyone.

Comment on prison food providers being school food providers. For Erin C. who basically said 'so what?': I think that these companies are in it for the money only. They don't give 2 hoots about prisoner health and neither do those who buy it. You can bet that good nutrition is not a consideration in providing this food. That being the case, are you happy them feeding your kids? I think that one of the most important comments so far is that kids throw away good food. It undermines all efforts to keep them well nourished. The next is: send lunch to school with them.

Obama makes me ill ill ill, but the food they feed our kids is discussing. I am very particular on what I eat and drink (organic, farm fresh no chemicals) probably more so than most people. Even when my kids were in school they feed them crap, but I do think its the parents NOT OUR GOVERNMENT who should be complaining to the school board not Obama.

When the topic of nutritious food raises this kind of anger, it is obvious our country is a complete mess.

His is not about Marxism or Fascism. This is about one fundamental issue: our tax dollars are being spent on food for our children. Should we try to make it more nutritious or not?

Mrs. Obama has chosen he Healy of our children as her pet project as Laura Bush chose literacy. Good for our First Ladies for trying to work on worthy causes. What is the problem???

Nutritionists and doctors have weighed in, he legiation was not penned by Mrs. Obama in a bubble. Be serious.

It's upsetting how hateful people are that hey use even the most binine issue to spew hateful rhetoric. Seriously.

As for the argument "kids throw away fruit and vegetables and only eat junk", not good enough. My kids would eat only junk at home if it's all I gave them because hey didn't like healthy food. That is just lazy.

(sorry for the typos, damn iPhone auto text...)

God Bless you, Mrs. Obama. You are finally being heard. It is about time that we ALL begin to taking better care of our children and ourselves. Giving them cell phones, IPods, etc. is not the way to go. What we put in their bodies is the most important thing that we, as parents (and schools) can do for them. Thank you so much for caring so much about our children and grandchildren. I, personally, love you AND your husband. You are the greatest!!!!

In the olden days, a lot of us brought our lunch from home. It was cheaper, safer, tastier, and a lot more nutritious than the stuff cafeterias dished out. That said, today's parents-- both of them, are often out the door to work before their kids are off to school, so the brown bag option may not be practical. The "free market" option in some schools delivered kids to McDonalds and the Coca-Cola bottling company. Part of government's job is to protect its citizens from dubious free market practices. School kids shouldn't be ingredients in the economic "survival of the fittest" philosophy.

Unfortunately, the junk food is available in schools to help subsidize the costs of the lunch food. I wish there was no junk food available at school quite honestly. I teach my children healthy eating habits at home and limit their spending at school. However, this does not mean that my children would not jump at the chance to eat junk. There is only so much that we and the school's can do. For some children, school lunch is the only complete and "healthy" meal that they get due to the family's income. Wouldn't it be great if there was only a healthy choice. If you want to let your child have something not healthy, why not provide it yourself? There is nothing wrong with a couple Oreos thrown in for a little indulgence;^)

Patti Urbano say's: "Vomit" as a response. Such a classy way to disagree.

i bet if mrs romney did the exact same thing the people complaining on this thread would be calling her a hero.
question- people complaining about our "freedom" being taken away, where you this outraged when bush passed the patriot act, because that infringed on our freedom a lot more than healthy lunches.

instead of complaining that banning 60 oz sodas is infringing on our freedom, why not question what kind of idiot needs 60 oz of soda.

There shouldn't be any food service in schools. Parents should send kids to school with a bag lunch. If it's a healthy lunch, good. If it's all processed junk, that's the parents' decision. If the kid is sent to school without lunch, too bad.

Our property taxes should not go to support food service in schools.

First of all throwing some grapes and carrots on a plate is not cooking. In fact no cooking is done at schools anymore. School kitchens heat things up. The things they heat up are processed foods full of trans fatty acids, simple sugars and white flower. Now I know the argument against actually cooking food for our children is that it would cost too much. So then we defray the costs until those children become the obese diabetic time bombs filling our hospitals costing our health care system billions. Learning how to make healthy food taste good doesn't take much time or money just some attention to those we brought into the world. Easy is usually not the best way to accomplish ones goals unless the goal is having a nation of fat unhealthy unhappy people. As for the right wing zealots out there, our founding fathers were mostly as you may say health nuts.

This is terrible ! There are sooo many racists in these comments. That's what it is
really about, isn't it? It's not about our children's access to good food.

I think all the Righties should get even with Mrs Obama and feed their kids extra junk food when they get home. No, in fact they should feed their children entirely on junk food. That's your right! Then, watch as your child dies of obesity and nutritional related illnesses in their 20's with no health insurance because you've ended Obamacare and couldn't have them on your own policy anymore. Then be ready to support all those kids they produced because they couldn't quite meet that abstinence only education and there will no longer be any Social Security to provide survivor's benefits. Yeah....that will fix those darn Obamas!

That's the funny thing.. Between giving heir kids crap out of protest of Michelle Obama and making extra stops at Chick Fil-A to make a point about gay marriage, the GOP's collective lifespan seems to be shortening wih each passing week. I figure the Dems will be a strong majority of the population just based on mortality by political party no later than 2030 at this rate. lol

This woman is trying to get kids to eat healthier. Bottom line. How anyone can not support that is a mystery to me???

Some kids eat properly. Many do not. I believe schools should not be selling things like french fries, Pop Tarts, and drinks with 50g of sugar, but neither can they force kids to eat spinach and brocolli. PARENTS are responsible for teaching how to eat right, and schools are responsible for reinforcing this and providing facts and reasonable choices. But government and big business are in bed together with some pretty bizarre results:

"In 2011, Congress passed a bill that barred the USDA from changing its nutritional guidelines for school lunches. The proposed changes[6] would have limited the amount of potatoes allowed in lunches, required more green vegetables, and declared a half-cup of tomato paste to count as a serving of vegetables, rather than the current standard of 2 tablespoons. This meant that the tomato paste in pizza could continue to be counted as a vegetable in school lunches. [7] The move resulted in widespread mockery, with headlines saying Congress declared pizza to be a vegetable. It was also criticized heavily, since the change was lobbied for by food companies such as ConAgra, and was a substantial blow to efforts to make school lunches healthier.[8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup_as_a_vegetable

We as parents need to teach our kids about moderation. One cupcake instead of 4. We have to empower them so they know what are good food choices and what are bad food choices. Most kids eat crap because their parents eat it.
I think Michelle Obamas heart is in the right place.

What happened to Liberty? Free will? Freedom?

The public schools exist to indoctrinate our children into the cult of government. Only our benevolent betters in Washington know what is best for us. We cannot decide on our own. Listen to the authority of Michelle Obama! She Knows Things!

Independent thought is considered seditious and must be stamped out. Good little automatons will eat their 1/2 cup of fruit and they'll like it. Parents welcome the nanny state because it absolves them of responsibility. "Eat your vegetables or I'll tell Michelle Obama" is the 21st century replacement for "wait until your father gets home." If there even is a father.

I find it ludicrous that we would cede control of our children to a bureaucratic cabal. Yet day after day we send them off like good little Kulaks. Resistance is futile, we will be assimilated.

Most of this can be achieved by drinking a pint of beer, or a single glass of wine. Not to mention that the President would look healthier if he gained a few pounds. Mrs. healthly conscience should consider staying home once in awhile, and cooking him a burger or better yet - nice med/rare steak. Sending him off to work w/ an apple and a nutri-grain bar just isn't cutting it.

See there they go again. It's not about proper diet in the school cafeteria, it's about
attacking this particular President and his family. Seems to me Mrs. Bush did a similar thing in the schools.

I just got back from a cruise where I saw so many obese kids it wasn't even funny. Additionally, I saw so many obese adults in those scooters too. A cruise is just a vacation for a week but the way these kids took plates and packed on the burgers, fries, cakes, cookies, ice cream, etc.. was disgusting. You just know that they have no restraint at home too, especially when their parents are on line next to them helping them pile the food on. Also, what really made me sick were the obese people in those scooters, chowing down on all kinds of fatty foods, and then scooting over to the smoking section of the pool deck. Me - I ate no more than I would normally have at home with one exception; fresh fruit. I love having fresh fruit already cut up, it's so convenient.

@Mrs smith I have never in my life seen so many fat kids . When I was a kid obesity was not a problem. Now in my mid 40s I am a little chubbier than usual but it is not from stuffing my face like a pig. In my home there is no soda , no chips no microwave crap. Just because my kids are skinny dosent mean I want them eating the crap either. The junk food needs to be a treat not an every day occurance. Evertything in moderation.

I have an eating disorder, I can't stop stuffing food in my mouth!!! While there are some people who legitimately have thyroid issues, the vast majority of obese people are lazy people who eat more than they need to. There's absolutely no reason for a child in grade school to be fat and lazy. Some of these kids need to learn to spend time outside running around and playing games/sports.
The food that they eat is part of the issue, but the bigger issue is that people these days are obese and overweight because they are L-A-Z-Y!!

All this healthy food would require increased production of grains and vegetables that not only have longer shelf life but also are loaded with appropriate ratios of protein vs. fiber vs. carbs. This is done via genetic modification of the foods that our children consume. Yes more affluent communities can pack a healthy home made lunch but this leaves communities in lower socioeconomic brackets to rely on government food to feed THE CHILDREN which in effect causes a number of health problems, i. e. Lately everyone you meet has celiac disease and needs to be gluten free. Come to think of it increased proteins in grains is not how nature meant it to be but because we are all looking to curb obesity and eat more proteins in our pasta :) we inevitably will end up with something strange that doctors will be able to qualify and Dx after several studies and hundrends of millions of dollars. I say pack your kids lunch. If you can't afford a healthy kids lunch don't have kids until u can.

@O.J. I have a thyroid issue but it hasnt made me obese. I have gained a few pounds but I keep active and encourage my kids to do the same. these parents Keep buying orange juice and gatorade and pop tarts. I cannot believe kids have high blood pressure and diabetes at 11 and some are wearing a much bigger size in clothes than me. I am 46 and I dont have these illnesses. LOOK AT THE PARENTS , FAT PARENTS EQUALS FAT KIDS.

not to get off topic but I have to add FAT UNHEALTHY PEOPLE KEEP HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS HIGH FOR EVERYONE.

Maybe you should me school lunches EDIBLE before you make them healthy. Pomptonian I'm talking to you!! And the dristrict!

I bet Chris Christie's mother was a free marketeer. Studies worldwide have shown that countries with anti-smoking campaigns have significant downward trends of lung cancer, emphysema etc. and those without these public health education campaigns have high rates that keep trending up. People don't exercise good sense and in some areas they are better off with a nanny. That's why we have speed limits. This has to be done with good judgement. Extremist, ideological diatribes are irrelevant.

My son packs his lunch for high school every day...not much on variety as it is a yogurt, granola bar and pretzels but his lunch period is at like 10:15 am? He eats real food when he gets home at 3ish. Primal / Paleo is the way to go...trying to show our kids that but they like the convenience of processed crap much of the time.

I don't mind if the urban ghetto welfare queens eat whole wheat bread and fresh fruits. I do mind paying for it, however, while The First Mooch tirelessly works to make the Maine lobster an extinct species. Can't we find a few spare billions in her vacation budget?

Wow, some of these comments really make me cringe!
As the parent of a diabetic teen, (no, he's not overweight - don't go there) I watch what my son eats. ALL THE TIME. However, when he goes to school and has "lunch" at 10:30 am (healthy & packed from home) I know that he's going to eat something junky from the cafeteria or one of the many trucks parked outside the school. Most kids do, and I can't stalk him and tell him no, so I try to make sure he does something to work off the extra crap ingredients found in these foods. Remember the rule? Don't tell your kids NOT to do something, because then they WILL? So, instead I pack tons of water, healthy snacks like cashews and veggies with PB. I ASK him what he'd like to snack on, and give it to him and keep him active. Now, see? I didn't even have to insult someone to get my opinion here! Smile folks, life's too short to be that pissed! :)

@Mymtc2 no insult was meant to type 1 diabetes . I was more takling about type 2. I watched the weight of the nation on HBO and I was shocked as to how many kids have illnesses that hit in middle age .
We all ate junk as kids but we knew healthy limits these kids today dont understand serving sizes and most of the parents dont either. I see some parents of overweight kids giving them chocolate covered fruit and cookies. that is a problem. Education about food choices needs to be taught.

Nowadays it's a necessity for schools to provide some children with at least one decent meal a day. To date they are the only generation that have a good chance of dying before their parents due to poor health, innumerable (toxic) vaccinations, and prescription drugs in elementary school, and in some cases as young as 6 mos. old?! Really?? Is the health of society breaking down as a whole due to some acceleration in bad genes or are the corporations (that control our govt.) and their crap food, poison sodas/diet sodas and pharmaceuticals, and technology overload, being shoved down our throats via the media? Is the food that will be provided as school lunches, all GMO (most corn, soy, wheat) so that Monsanto can get rid of that garbage? My kids are out of school, but if they were I would still pack healthy organic foods and push for the schools to REMOVE all junk food and drinks from the premises. But then I guess the districts enjoy the payola from these poison machines.

http://www.naturalnews.com/036862_Google_Shopping_vitamins_censorship.html
Does our govt. really want us to be healthy?

Jo, I applaud you!!! The sheeple don't think anymore!! People of minimum means carrying designer (knock offs??) purses and being label conscious.... that's what some people's lives are all about. They see it on TV, gotta have it since nothing else in their life gives them fulfillment. All this "STUFF" constantly bombarding us to make us think it will make us a happier better person. And if they don't... just take a pill to placate. Ugh!!!

It's beginning in the day cares.. they gave out POP ROCKS to the 4 y/o on visiting day and the following Monday when school began there was more candy given out and consumed.. and one for the road as well, which out 4/o pulled out of his back pack.
HERE'S THE TWIST! There is a reward system for good behavior(s)..and it seems to be plugged into all of the day care, pre-K and public school teachers coast to coast. I see people complaining about it on their blogs:"Teacher giving kids candy".
At the end of 2 weeks the child "good behavior tickets" gets to buy them something of their choice.. from the cache of "good" prizes ranging down to small ticket items book, plastic dinosaurs, stickers, colored markers, and candy..
THE CANDY IS THE LEAST EXPENSIVE TICKET ITEM SO THE CHILD WHO ONLY EARNS A FEW TICKETS LEARNS EARLY ON WHERE TO FIND THE REWARDS..in eating SUGAR. It begins right there.. Very few parents who NEED that daycare program are not in the position or do not have the gumption to speak up against this. They just let it go . (Not all teachers do this, but far more than not will..some parents speak up, but most go with the flow and allow it). Being submissive to this
keeps the status quo.
On Monday after seeing the candy come out of the backpack I pulled our little one out of the school. When I told the teacher why she thought it was harmless to give kids candy and absolutely didn't understand why she should not be giving it.
This is where it begins!!

John,
Further to Tina's Vit. D3 comment, I believe that meat or supplementation is the only source of Vit. B12 (or one of the other Bs) and that vitamin is important to nervous system health. You can have sub-clilnical issues that eventually surface. If you're not supplementing, check into it. I realize that if you're Vegan you have probably read up.

this thread is an example of whats wrong with this country. social media and the actual media are out of control. if someone makes a tiny mistake or mis speaks the media disects it, and blows it out of porportion for days just so they can fill thier 24 hour news (which usually isnt even news). then with social media we have every clown in the world spewing hate and insults behind fake names.
im no obama fan but here we have the 1st lady wanting to improve the youths health and some how that gets negative opinions from people and racist insults.
the way people post on sites like this is like a pack of voltures just waiting for a story where they can make negative comments about the opposing party.
NEWS FLASH people- 99% of what you hear from fox news, cnn, obama, romeny etc is complete BS and only dividing the country more. and both sides are guilty

Poor Mrs. Obama. No good deed goes unpunished. I am thrilled to see improvements to the quality of food being served to children in the public school systems and don't understand why others are bashing this. What if schools decided to lower their standards and serve non-FDA approved meat and chicken? Would these same people still be crying about freedom of choice? I don't think so, they'd be screaming about the government allowing the schools to poison our kids. What is it going to take to make some people happy?

Chris W-
When I was a kid, nobody had peanut allergies. Practically all child allergies have been on the rise for 10-15 years (there are many theories why... no room for explanations here). Symptoms run from itchiness & rashes up to difficulty breathing, vomiting, abdominal pain. Surely, you wouldn't want to subject another child to that danger? Some schools allow other kinds of butters, like almond, which my granddaughter (who does NOT have the allergy) takes to school. Maybe it's a blessing. PB&J is so fantastically delicious, that it's easy to settle for it every day. And that is not a balanced diet. Also, that means the child has sticky PB & sugary jam on her teeth until brushing at night. Not good!

Our company Judy's Healthy Snacks is a solution to many of your concerns. We are in some of your schools and your kids love our healthy products. We are a local NJ company and we generate needed revenue for the schools we are in with no cost to the school. We take all the risks. If you’d like us in your school, please reply or visit our website and get in touch: Judyshealthysnacks.com

I think people who complained in the comments never filled out the lunch order forms. If you are tasked to choose between plain bagel and plain bagel with cream cheese as the only choices for your child for that day of the week for the entire school year, then you realize how unhealthy the kids eat.  Sure we can pack our own lunch (which we did for that day of week), but why not having a minimum standard at school. If they can think that bagels can be for lunch today, soon they will serve a cup of jelly as school approved lunch too. Don't use "bad parenting" argument as an excuse to have bad foods at school. 

In my school they have gone to "baked chicken patties" aka chicken patties that are warmed up in the oven and not heated in the frier on whole wheat roles and "baked fries" same thing.

Check this out in France
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6902333n

Seems enough people are interested in helping kids make healthy food choices. Maybe there's a brave, generous soul who can provide videos like Food, Inc., Food Matters, Forks Over Knives, The Drugging of our Children to their school library, and/or have them available for PTA meetings, or Parent Network meetings.

The vodka bottle may have to wait a few more minutes, but just pack a lunch for your kid.Problem solved.

Dear Oldtimer,
It's easy enough to pack a lunch the night before, I agree. My kids get (or one graduated used to get) to buy lunch about once a week, so it really didn't matter that much what they ate. That being said, there should be some level of trust that what you buy in the school cafeteria is relatively wholesome. But I don't like this idea of whole wheat pizza. Leave my ethnic food alone — and the mediterranean diet is one of healthiest -- just use real tomatoes and cheese, not processed stuff!

Judy's Healthy Snacks are definitely a step in the right direction. I've eaten some, and have read the labels. BUT, it's important to note that these are SNACKS, and not to replace the main course. Many are hefty in calories, have added sweetener (albeit organic), and barely need chewing. Think Michael Pollan's "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants" and you'll do fine. Also, observe how many steps of processing the main ingredient was subjected to, before it arrived in your kitchen. For example: why not a real, crispy, sweet (not supermarket) apple?

Thanks for your comments Jo. You are correct some of the snacks are hefty in calories such as clif bar and others. As our buying power increases we are adding (as we speak) even healthier options at reasonable prices, starting immediately this year. As in relation to main courses, we are off setting losses in food service with our revenues to the school. There are specific schools where it is happened as early as last year. To make a point rather than a commercial, there are options and roads to make kids lunches healthier. It requires more voice from parents and kids to the schools. We service many kids and teachers and I can tell you for sure they want to eat healthier. They know a lot more about healthy food than many give them credit for and a lot of that comes from responsible parenting. Parents are making better choices at home.

Getting healthy food in the cafeteria is only going to be effective if EVERY CHILD is allowed to EAT it! How bout we start by making sure EVERY CHILD HAS A LUNCH... Even if you forgot your lunch money or your card is empty.... Let's start there..

My children are entering the 2nd and 5th grades. They have never bought a school lunch. They've never asked, and I've never offered. I don't have a say in what the schools serve, although I assume my tax dollars are funding it. I appreciate their efforts to improve their offerings. While I can't control outside influences, I do control what I pack for my kids. I know swapping goes on at lunch. I don't even attempt to pack raw veggies, because I know they will not get eaten. I try to provide some whole-grain carbs, protein and applesauce (as I know they will eat that). Beyond that, they get at least 2 vegetables with their dinner, and I add it into breakfast and a snack whenever I can, i.e. pumpkin oatmeal, spinach in a smoothie, (YES they like it , and NO they don't taste the spinach!) I guess my point is that as a parent, I have choices. I choose to educate my children why certain foods are desirable and others are not. I choose what foods to keep in my house. I know that my children will and do make choices for themselves, so if I can empower them to enjoy a broad range of fresh, healthy, unprocessed foods and educated them about ingredients, then I have done what I can. Not everyone has that choice. If a child is going to receive free lunch at his/her school, then we (as a first world country) should prioritize food that is beneficial, not what will make them sick and malnourished in the long run. Not a big fan of the Obamas, but good for Michelle!

Really????? I grew up in a large family with little money... but... somehow my parents provided breakfast (at home!! Cherrios, shreded wheat, rice crispies or corn flakes) and a bag lunch to take. Why can't everyone feed their own kids??!! Perhaps get rid of Dish/Cable and cell phones with texting and unlimited minutes?

Just as a note here, Bernards Township's school lunch program is self-sustaining — and does not get local tax $ to subsidize. I suspect many other school districts are the same.

Mary Ann "I grew up in a large family with little money".
I'm glad you brought this up, though the topic is growing much larger and broader than we can address in short & simple responses. "Back in the days", most Moms were home - it was much less of a hassle to prepare lunches. Also, many schools weren't equipped with cafeterias; my huge school only had kiosks where we could buy simple bologna sandwiches (and similar) only, and eat while walking around. Also, the cost of living was in much better alignment with income, the latter having lagged behind considerably in the last 3 decades (except for the rich). My vision for the future isn't small fixes, but a seismic shift. Where healthy food, shelter, health care, employment, etc are respected and treated as human rights deserved by all. With the right intention, this can be accomplished.

I think my mothers generation knew more about managing a home on a budget. For example the home economic classs offered in the 40s and 50s was much different.

I learned to sew from her and she made some of my clothes and took a lot in (I was thinner than slim). Budgets were covered. Victory gardens. My grand parents had a garden, my mother had a garden. I have had a grown tomatoes and peppers on balcony.

The is enough evidence that junk food is cheap, and not enough info on how go about getting healthy food cheap.

It's ironic that before the '50's, ALL food was basically organic. When WWII ended, our government was stuck with a lot of toxic stuff to get rid of. Some, they dumped in the ocean. Other, they tasked scientists to convert to peaceful domestic use. And wallah! We got toxic pesticides and herbicides that could do miraculous things to soil, animals, plants AND food. And our government subsidizes these factory farms by buying some of their surplus and providing it cheap to the public schools.

The products complete http://www.yessoso.com can supply and demand everyone's choice.