The letter to which they refer, linked here, reads in part”
…USDA would use this authority to propose nutrition standards through the regulatory process, which will allow for public comment by school administrators and all other interested parties. However, USDA agrees with and will respect the intent of Congress to permit exemptions for school-approved fundraisers – including bake sales or other occasional or infrequent fundraisers.
How generous of the USDA. The letter assures, “[A]gain, USDA has no intention of going further than the Congressional directive on this issue…” Would the USDA have the constitutional authority to go “further than the Congressional directive…”?
But if one takes a quick perusal on the USDA website, the emphasis on state flexibility is not so clear.
For example:
Starting in school year 2014-15, all foods sold at school during the school day will need to meet nutrition standards. The Smart Snacks in School regulation applies to foods sold a la carte, in the school store, and vending machines.
In a video posted by the USDA, the narrator explains:
Right now there are healthy guidelines for school lunches but come school year 2014, food sold a la carte and in vending machines will have to be healthy, as required by the ‘Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act.’
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Watch the video here:
But wait, there’s more!
As a part of many of the rules and regulations surrounding the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, the “Local School Wellness Policy” regulation, which had an astounding 58,427 comments from the public, “requires that local school wellness policies include goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school based activities that promote student wellness.” One of the bizarre suggestions proposed by the latest rule is that educators incorporate “nutrition education” into “core subjects such as math, science, language arts, and social sciences, as well as in non-core and elective subjects.” You read that right.
It is reminiscent of “radical math,” which seeks to “integrate issues of economic and social justice” into math class.
The law “requires that the State agency must set an upper limit on the number of fundraisers that would be allowed.” If the states do not comply, they forfeit the right to allow any exempt fundraisers in schools.
Michelle Obama said in 2008 that “…we’re going to have to change our traditions…” Bake sales certainly are an American tradition. Do Americans believe that the federal government should be spending taxpayer money on such endeavors? It is quite doubtful that the founding fathers would have ever anticipated that the federal government would try to regulate what children eat.
This first appeared at BrennerBrief.com. Published with permission.
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