In remarks made yesterday during the signing of Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, First Lady Michelle Obama regarding deciding what children ought to eat, “We can’t just leave it up to the parents.” She went on to say:
I think that parents have a right to expect that their efforts at home won’t be undone each day in the school cafeteria or in the vending machine in the hallway. I think that our parents have a right to expect that their kids will be served fresh, healthy food that meets high nutritional standards.
First off, yes we can just leave it up to the parents. They are the ones who are ultimately responsible. They alone should decide what children should eat. If they are not happy with what their children eat at school there are alternatives. While I don’t disagree that school lunches could be more nutritious – this isn’t a proper role for the federal government. If local school boards want to make these changes great. Again, this isn’t a responsibility of the federal government and it certainly isn’t a national security issue.
This act takes us one step closer to becoming a nanny state as the federal government now has the authority to regulate food at school. But, let’s remember, it’s “for the children” so it must be ok.
You can watch Mrs. Obama’s statement below: