U.S. Department of Agriculture Unveils New School Lunch Standards: Better or Worse?

by SodaHead Living Posted 2012/01/25 21:48:18

Related Topics: U.s. Department Of Agriculture, School Lunch, Pizza, School, Vegetables, Free, Taxpayers, Healthier, teenagers, Kids, Fat, Healthy, Fruit, French, Eating

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	Better	409 votes	66%
	Worse	211 votes	34%

After all the back and forth about whether American children should be eating healthier meals at school, it's a done deal. The U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed new standards on Wednesday that may change cafeteria pizza and French fries forever.

Under the new regulations -- the first major overhaul in more than 15 years -- schools will be required to:

--offer fruits and vegetables every day;

--increase the amount of whole-grain foods served;

--reduce the sodium and fats in foods served;

--offer only fat-free or low-fat milk;

--pay closer attention to appropriate portion sizes.

Kids will still get pizza, but they'll get whole wheat cheese pizza. Instead of French fries, they'll get baked sweet potato fries.

"Improving the quality of the school meals is a critical step in building a healthy future for our kids," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, according to msnbc.com. "When it comes to our children, we must do everything possible to provide them the nutrition they need to be healthy, active and ready to face the future – today we take an important step towards that goal."

The changes will start being phased in this fall, and not a moment too soon -- about 17 percent of U.S. children and teenagers are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Do you think the new school lunches are a step in the right direction? Or kind of nasty-sounding?

+23

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NatAlex23 2012/01/25 22:00:53

Better

+9
When I was in high school 3 years ago the lunches had more grease than food. I ended bringing my lunch senior year when I could drive to the grocery store.
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More polls by SodaHead Living

Margaret Jacobson 2012/02/02 19:21:28

Better

Kids eat a lot of chips,soda,cookies,cake, GFAST FOOD, processed foods everywhere. Maybe a quality lunch would be nice. Better food would help. Very few young people get enough exercise now. In my neighborhood there are very few places to play ball,football.basketball etc.

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ready46xwu 2012/02/01 20:18:29

Better

We have "OBESITY" RUINING OUR KIDS HEALTH!
More exercise & lets fatty foods!

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BILL 2012/01/31 22:21:11

Better

Someone has to keep our kids on track

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rand 2012/01/30 20:28:43

Better

If my taxes are going to pay for it, I don't want it to be toxic and increase what I pay for health care. It's both caring and pragmatic, a great combination.

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GLaDOS 2012/01/30 13:02:24

Worse

+1
I disagree with reducing fats. They should focus on more fats, but make them healthy fat; natural, grass-fed, animal fats, instead of vegetable fats; or, for the case of some, carnivorous, fish, fishmeal-fed.

Offering fruits and vegetables every day is a good thing, as is increasing the amount of whole-grain foods, and decreasing sodium. I'm not sure how I feel about the portion control, given that some kids only get a school lunch all day.

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Royo 2012/01/30 10:34:05

Worse

+1
Sure, the foods might be healthier, but everything is STILL stale and rubbery and disgusting. So it's not really better at all.

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aud 2012/01/28 23:38:43

Better

my school serves cheese that expired 2 mounths ago...thats bad

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Bob DiN to aud 2012/01/29 10:18:42

And so will they continue with government involved with all the kickbacks and corruption that comes with it.

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Jamie-chan 2012/01/28 21:57:24

Worse

+5
Let kids eat what they want to. I remember in High School if you had the money you could get everything! Pizza, nachos with cheese, ice cream, burgers (all different kinds) Kids are not getting fat cause they are eating the stuff, they are getting fat cause they don't exercise enough. Know what they do when they get home? Sit on the couch and eat more and play video games or eat fatty stuff while doing homework. It is the parents fault for not monitoring how much they eat! Look at me! I ate tons of fatty foods and still do and am skinny as a twig cause I go out and exercise (Though it could also be that I have a high metabolism)

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Karina 2012/01/28 18:50:58

Better

+1
I think all schools should have required physical education. If the student itself doesn't have athletics outside of school or in school, then the school should definitely be in charge of having physical education to the student.
The school lunch idea is great. The food better have taste, though. My school lunches have nasty, sheap, fake-looking chicken in their fajitas. It doesn't even taste like chicken. They only have like one fruit and one vegetable to get. Sometimes none. They don't know how to make meals.

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TorchwoodTrinity 2012/01/28 00:08:31

Better

It's about time....

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joey 2012/01/27 21:03:06

Worse

+1
they feed us fries every day at my high school. definatly not too healthy.

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[Katsu]™ 2012/01/27 19:48:36

Better

That actually looks good, and I wouldn't mind eating it everyday.

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Bob DiN to [Katsu]™ 2012/01/29 10:22:17

Famous last words. The government contract food won't be anything like what's in the picture. The picture also doesn't show you any of the political kickbacks. Follow the money my friend, follow the money.

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Dan Hood 2012/01/27 18:31:53

Worse

+2
The offering of fruit and vegetables is a step in the right direction, but the issue at hand is that they need to make better food. They aren't tackling the issue by making whole wheat pizza (that sucks), for instance- that's just a lazy solution. They need to make actual healthier foods and, more importantly, ones that humans will actually eat.

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Maurice... to Dan Hood 2012/01/28 03:57:25

+1
I totally agree...Also, I think if foods were better prepared children would eat healthier. Kids love pizza because it tastes great. If the meatloaf or mystery meat tasted as great, they would actually choose it. Just my two cents...

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Bob DiN to Dan Hood 2012/01/29 10:25:43

Not going to happen with government contracts involved. A small portion of the money goes to the actual food. the rest goes to profit and to pay for political kickback for getting the contract.

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FantasyAuthor 2012/01/27 18:19:18

Better

I wish that there was a third opinion for this question for I do agree that this is a better way to do things but this won't help much for there is still the issue of having the kids get out of the house and being active instead of sitting in the house and watching tv, surfing the internet or playing video games.

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tcrackel 2012/01/27 16:34:10 (edited)

Worse

+1
--offer fruits and vegetables every day (better)

--increase the amount of whole-grain foods served (worse)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?...

--reduce the sodium and fats in foods served (worse)
--offer only fat-free or low-fat milk (worse)
http://www.eatingdisordersonl...
http://www.rsc.org/Chemsoc/Ch...

--pay closer attention to appropriate portion sizes (complicated)
How can we say that EVERYONE needs the same amount of food.

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SEAL76 2012/01/27 16:21:04

Better

Good idea. Physical Education classes should be mandatory at all grade levels and be at least thirty minutes long. Strength training and aerobics should be included. Classes should be five days a week.

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bettyboop 2012/01/27 16:06:51 (edited)

Better

+1
Check out what other countries offer their school children at lunch time. Our kids are being fed a lot of carbs. and pre-made foods in comparison.

http://www.banquetsandcaterin...

above are american, china and france typical school lunches

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Maurice... to bettyboop 2012/01/28 03:59:45
bettyboop to Maurice... 2012/01/28 12:55:18

+1
It really makes american school children's lunches look terrible. I do not understand how other countries can and do provide so much better food. Oh wait, I guess were feeding the american school kids crap so that Congress/Presidents can have all those benefits and retirement packages for life!

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LILY 2012/01/27 15:29:38

Better

Im more happy with the lunches of the schools now. Back then they use to be more greasy, I like School lunch. No bother to me.

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Jermaine Pollard 2012/01/27 11:40:53

Better

+1
Sounds better than a 99% fried lunch.

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Amber 2012/01/27 11:13:40

Worse

+1
The school lunches are nasty! I am so glad I left middle school last year and I don't have to taste that stuff anymore. And now its even worse that the kids have to eat whole wheat cheese pizza and sweat fries! I know if they madene eat that stuff I wouldn't huy it and thats what's going to end up like. Nobody is going to Buy the lunch and they will just bring junk food from their houses.

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Sir Bud 2012/01/27 08:25:12

Better

+1
Promoting the general welfare of the nation always good

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Bob DiN to Sir Bud 2012/01/29 10:27:28

It sure is. However that will never happen when government contract and kickbacks are involved.

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Jackie 2012/01/27 07:43:24

Better

I'm not sure it is much different than when I was in school over 50 years ago, so when did it go off track.

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Soundstorm 2012/01/27 07:12:49

Better

I would say better just as another poster on this page who remembers high school lunches being high in grease content.
But look at that tray! Doesn't that look like our government schools are preparing children for life in prison?

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bettyboop to Soundstorm 2012/01/27 16:12:08

+1

actually the school lunch looks better

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Soundstorm to bettyboop 2012/01/27 19:39:26

+1
Gotta ease their tender young minds into it. You gonna finish that jello?

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bettyboop to Soundstorm 2012/01/27 21:11:23

+1
haha.........I guess if your hungry enough even prison food can look good

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Soundstorm to bettyboop 2012/01/28 00:18:13

+1
Not much to food fight with there.

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bettyboop to Soundstorm 2012/01/28 01:55:22

+1
And that was probably a good day. No wonder prison spreads are so loved.

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Soundstorm to bettyboop 2012/01/28 05:33:50

+1
That looks like leftovers from one of my memorable weekends.

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Bob DiN to bettyboop 2012/01/29 10:30:07

As long as government contracts and political kickbacks are involved, don't let the picture fool you.

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aneed2know 2012/01/27 07:04:57

Better

+2
A helluva lot better, but what would make it alot better is to get retired people and pay them a small sum if they want to come in a cook meals at the schools, it would save a lot more money and i know that alot of senoirs would enjoy doing it.

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Soundstorm to aneed2know 2012/01/27 07:19:34

That is an intelligent and sensible idea that would only run into the immovable barrier of bureaucratic red tape and the school union establishment.

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aneed2know to Soundstorm 2012/01/27 10:33:49

+3
i dont think so, because they dont cook meals at school anymore they heat them up.

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