Black markets formed in Schools for sugar, salt, and pepper.

[Benton]

(06-24-2015, 09:58 PM)JustWinBaby Wrote: I disagree on the first part = 1 out of 3 healthy meals a day is pretty significant - it won't cure obesity, but it's a big step in the right direction.

Your second part is an excellent point I didn't think of.    But obesity is primarily a function of too many calories and not enough exercise.  Not to suggest junk calories aren't unhealthy, but their bigger issue is they don't fill us up and so we eat more calories.

That's a point a lot of people miss. And for a lot of kids it's more than 1 in 3 meals. For many it's 1 in 2 and for some it's the only consistent meal they get throughout the week. And it's not just a poverty issue, sometimes it's just a practicality issue. More parents work, fewer families sit down to breakfast in the morning. Some don't sit down to dinner. And sometimes those dinners are far from anything close to a balanced diet.

There are more programs now that try to send food home with kids, but they usually have limited resources.

I was an education reporter back when a lot of the changes were mandated. I got a few calls each week with a parent complaining about the meals. And I didn't find one school where the kids were being fed bad food, just more fruits and vegetables and fewer fried foods. I eat lunch with my daughter at least once a month at her school and the food is always pretty good.