Some high school students are not pleased with their new USDA-approved school lunches, and have taken to using the hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama to express their displeasure. The guidelines include strict calorie limits, as well as requiring whole grains and fruits and vegetables. Students are claiming that the lunches are too small, and they are being left hungry.
The hashtag was one of the top trends on both Facebook and Twitter throughout the afternoon.
#ThanksMichelleObama but honestly when this is all I eat sometimes between work and studying this is... Sad. I'm 16. pic.twitter.com/q1XK2LaJLJ
— Zander Garner (@ZanderGOfficial) November 21, 2014#ThanksMichelleObama pic.twitter.com/lNo2WshiXM
— Garrett Freeman I (@garrettfreeman4) September 29, 2014BHS be like "fresh fruit" #ThanksMichelleObama pic.twitter.com/zRFN3AsoTB
— Lindsey Stout (@Lindsey_Stout) September 15, 2014Those lunches look quite sad, and for some students, that's the only thing they'll eat all day. When I was in high school, lunches didn't look like that--and the vast majority of them were certainly edible. It's also not a good policy to assume that all children have the same nutritional needs. A football or a hockey player will certainly need more calories than what is permitted under these guidelines.
Child obesity is certainly a problem that needs to be addressed. If school lunches are this gross, however, children are simply going to turn to empty calories and snacks to stave off hunger. This is completely counter-productive.
Schools know their student population better than some government agency does. School lunches should be up to local control, not subjected to arbitrary guidelines.
