weekend Reading

Reading

Apparently, at least one school in Chicago has banned students from bringing their lunch to school. Students are required to eat the 'healthy' lunch their school serves. Find out why.

The NY Coalition for Healthy School Food had a great response to the USDA's requests for comment on the new regulations which will govern school lunch. Read their argument here on eliminating fried foods from school lunch (yes, we serve fried foods at our school), chocolate milk, artificial sweeteners, colors, preservatives and corn syrup. Plus - requiring things that are good for you like actual whole grains. We don't have to wait for the government - we can our our district to do these things now.

Thew new guidelines are also targeting potatoes in a effort to get more nutritious vegetables into lunch-- but the potato industry is fighting back (just like the milk industry over chocolate milk.)

Or, or, or...we could opt out of the school lunch program and serve really healthy meals at cost- or for a profit.

Apps

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a new app for your phone on food additives. Check ingredients while you're shopping - and find out why you should avoid "caramel coloring".  You can also look up high fructose corn syrup to find out why our brunch for lunch isn't a good idea.

Watching

Jamie Oliver is taking on school lunch in LA. Watch this clip on the stunning amount of sugar kids are eating and why we need to get rid of chocolate milk. 

Then, you can read this post from DC school activists on the war against sugar in school lunch in DC and neighboring counties.