Thread: Black Markets Emerge in School Cafeterias Across America

Black Markets Emerge in School Cafeterias Across America

Kimberly Paxton
September 25th, 2012
The Daily Sheeple
Comments (196)
Read by 9,357 people

One thing is guaranteed…anytime the government moves to restrict something, be it alcohol during prohibition, marijuana in the drug war, gold after 1933 confiscation, black markets always emerge.

In the case of the tight school lunch restrictions being put into place in schools across the country, enterprising young bootleggers are smuggling in chocolate syrup and selling it by the squeeze.

Michelle Obama championed the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act as part of her Let’s Move campaign. The act has been put into place to combat childhood obesity but it’s leaving a lot of kids…well…HUNGRY.

Image: Mrs. Obama is not leading by example. The Obamas enjoy a burger and fries – does this meal exceeds the 850 calorie allotment laid out by the school lunch policy?

School lunches have undergone such a drastic transformation that students across the country are complaining of hunger pangs throughout the day. Portion sizes have been reduced, dessert and flavored milks have been banned, and, in the name of financial easing, the prices of these smaller lunches have been increased.

USDA Deputy Undersecretary Janey Thornton blames the kids for the reported hunger pangs. ”One thing I think we need to keep in mind as kids say they’re still hungry is that many children aren’t used to eating fruits and vegetables at home, much less at school. So it’s a change in what they are eating. If they are still hungry, it’s that they are not eating all the food that’s being offered.”

The kids are fighting back. Student athletes across the country are complaining that their caloric needs are not being met by the enforced diet. No adjustments are being made based on energy output – the food offerings are the same across the board. Kids report only drinking the milk and throwing out the plates of hummus and black bean salad in revolt, according to a student in South Dakota. Serving sizes are only slightly adjusted by the age of the kids – the new rulebook sets calorie maximums for school lunches — 650 calories for elementary-schoolers, 700 for middle-schoolers and 850 for high-schoolers.

Nutrition Nannies, a group on Facebook, is using the power of social media to join the revolution by asking for photo submissions of school lunches across the country. One picture shows one cheese-stuffed bread stick, a small dollop of marinara sauce, three apple slices and some raw spinach. The student who snapped the photo asked why there was no meat in the sauce and was told by cafeteria employees that it would “put them over the protein allowance.”

Students in Kansas, with the help of some teachers, indulged in a creative Youtube protest with this video-gone-viral:

Lyrics:
Give me some seconds
I, I need to get some food today
My friends are at the corner store
Getting junk so they don’t waste away
My lover ate her 2 grams of meat
Just about to starve
My bread was taken by some school bully
Askin’ bout s’more
And i know i gave up on food months ago
I know i’m trying to forget it
But between the milk and feta cheese
The pains in my tummy sing
You know I’m trying hard to find
nourishment…

Expect to see more canny young capitalists smuggling in candy bars, single serving packages of chips and other contraband.

Expect to see brown-bag protests as more students begin bringing their lunches from home.

And like any prohibition, expect to see disciplinary crackdowns on the kids that refuse to comply with the limited “rations” being offered.

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Contributed by Kimberly Paxton of www.TheDailySheeple.com.
Kimberly Paxton, a staff writer for the Daily Sheeple, is based out of upstate New York.

Black Markets Emerge in School Cafeterias Across America

Congressman challenges USDA to follow own school lunch restrictions


Published: 11:15 PM 10/02/2012

By Caroline May

Kansas Republican Tim Huelskamp issued a challenge to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday: Adopt the same calorie restrictions and menu standards in the department’s cafeterias as the USDA now requires in the nation’s public schools.

While students pick at their vegetables, USDA’s cafeteria menus are loaded with unhealthy options for government employees — from pesto chicken pizza to BLTs with cheddar cheese, Cuban pork paninis to Philly steak subs, cheeseburgers to French toast.

“If the USDA demands that 100,000 school districts change their menus and justifies this mandate because schools receive federal money for lunches, then taxpayers should demand that the USDA cafeteria meet the same standards, as USDA operates in taxpayer-funded buildings,” Huelskamp challenged Tuesday afternoon. “Let’s see if they eat enough to function. Let’s see if they like having choices taken away from them.”

The Kansas Republican — who has introduced legislation with Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King to eliminate the new school menu guidelines, put in place as a result of the Michelle Obama backed “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” passed in 2010 and implemented this school year — issued his challenge after USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Janey Thornton encouraged parents to implement the kinds of food school cafeterias are now serving at home, on the USDA’s blog.

“We recommend reviewing school menus with kids at home and working to incorporate foods that are being served at school into family meals as much as possible,” Dr. Thornton wrote. “In many schools, parents are working through their Parent-Teacher Associations to take a lead role in helping kids adjust.”

The new lunch menus have received pushback from students and parents across the country who feel that the calorie restrictions and limits on protein and carbohydrates are leaving students, especially student athletes, hungry.
The USDA’s cafeterias are not required to adhere to the menu regulations the department is requiring schools across the country to follow.

USDA did not respond to TheDC’s request for comment.

Read more: Congressman challenges USDA: Follow own school lunch rules | The Daily Caller