Comments 1-50 of 54

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  Barbara Querin Fish

  05/17/2017 03:14 PM

  I stand with your view on school lunches. I have watched and hoped that the political issues would better or health, and quality for our children. Sadly, too many people want to make their views on issues, priorities. Michele, stand down. Your over, and lets get on and ask the children, instead of adults making choices. You would be surprised how knowledgeable they have become with the internet, and TV, in making good choices.

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  JOnn Vee

  05/16/2017 05:21 PM

  Go away, MO. It's over. You're out. 8 yrs of political hell on earth. Tolerant as long as it's liberal.
  Feed the adults your menu. Kids need a champion....not a village.

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  George Wilson

  05/16/2017 03:59 PM

  Does FLOTUS have the authority to mandate anything outside of the White House?
  What did her daughters have for lunch at their school?
  This is just another reason to bash President Trump,in my opinion.

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  ELIZABETH

  05/16/2017 03:41 PM

  I agree with you Mike. I have more to add, LOL you asked! Many students without knowledge of it or a diagnosis are sensitive to gluten and casein-the protein in milk. It effects learning, behavior, mood, digestion, virtually everything is compromised if there is a glutamate/GABA imbalance in the body. In the brain, glutamate stimulates and GABA calms-we need both to function properly. Gut issues are very often silent and are the catalyst for disease. We are automatically thrown into the high glutamate side (overly excited and tissue inflammation) when there are problems with the gut which have been associated with neurological and autoimmune conditions. GLUTEN and casein (dairy protein) have glutamate in them, an excitotoxin! Eating has a direct effect on attention span and focus ability. Have you ever tried to teach Math to 20 4th graders on birthday day after a sugary drink and a oversized cupcake? Doesn't work especially well-especially when 3/4 of their snacks, breakfast and lunch are sugar, gluten and dairy! Really, chocolate milk?-ugh! I truly think the school menus K-COLLEGE should include a gluten-free/dairy free option and we would see a decrease in behavior problems and an increase in attention over-all. Also, organic fruit and veggies and entrees not full of preservatives and chemicals would help. Ay-yi-yi!

  The kids are at a disadvantage not having healthy food choices-they run out of good energy . I hope president Trump and Betsy Devos can tackle this one, making organic choices and gluten free/dairy free/nut free choices the norm. Note: Nuts are two-fold "bad" for the sensitive individual having glutamate and natural toxins! Really the only way to a great education is to provide an intelligent, modernistic, custom approach to school lunch service.

  Always, they should have an appealing salad bar choice of fresh organic fruits, veggies, and soup with a simple sandwich with fresh meat. **Govt tax relief for organic run farm.** So many kids/and their parents are dissatisfied with eating and starving for nutrients. So.... gluten free wraps and breads! An alternative beverage to milk as well, maybe a sugar free organic juice! And always NSF approved filtered ice water available at lunch for a free beverage option at school.

  Most families and doctors don't know anything about food intolerances unless a nasty reaction accompanies it. Too often the damage can go unnoticed for years. Gluten and dairy are not the only culprits but the havoc the two can bring upon a body already riddled with toxins can make life a living hell. Very complicated subject actually. What is "healthy" for one can be unhealthy for another. We can greatly improve upon our school lunch programs.

  Our student population suffers when a school lunch plate is laden with chemicals and we are beating a dead horse offering food manufactured for the masses. We need wholesome, non GMO, organic ingredients. Actually, we could do more with raising gardens and farm animals on school property and cutting out 1/2 to 3/4 sports! Let the communities handle sports. And how better than to teach self sustaining life principles. Everyone isn't going to make that basketball, football, cheerleading team. We should have life long sports teams for those interested like tennis and yoga in K-12 . No high cost equipment either. In high school and college they could learn to raise/budget money and build a tiny house!

  I have been witnessing many students unfit to play sports in the elementary levels. And among those that are not sluggish and overweight there are a population of extreme emotionally disturbed who have trouble following directions and keeping their hands to themselves, lacking the ability to conduct themselves properly in the classroom. As a substitute teacher who has to be very careful with my food choices school lunches are a nightmare. This should not be the norm. Kids grow up to be young adults with autoimmune issues too frequently these days to ignore. If we could improve the health of our nations children by developing a school lunch program to better meet the needs of all students by offering intelligently thought out food & drink choices, I would be the happiest woman alive.

  We need a nutrition class in school and only certain people would qualify to teach it in my opinion, someone with great knowledge of food intolerances, autoimmune disease, the physical and mental body. I have a degree in radiation therapy and x-ray. I've learned every muscle and bone in the body. I've learned what damages cells. I've studied great health research over many years of studying healthy vs diseased cells dealing with personal health challenges and those in my work and family. It it a very passionate subject of mine.

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  Joanne Sgrignoli

  05/16/2017 02:50 PM

  I just read through all the comments and was thrilled with *drum roll* all the Common Sense!

  I want to add that packaged food should rarely be served! It's unhealthy. There are times that we need pasta, canned goods, or other things called for in recipes.

  Most important, SAVE THE LUNCH LADIES & home cooked food. God bless cooks like Joan Haack who wrote her comments. Kids respond better to interaction with real people, not a food service. Thete's better control when food is cooked at the school. The lunch ladies/gentlemen (?) are special to the kids. My daughter got a hug from her favorite lunch lady every Friday when she was in school. We can't keep replacing people with big empty vacuums.

  I Love the Lunch Ladies!

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  Sharon Maitlen

  05/16/2017 02:17 PM

  I have eaten, or let's make that tried to eat, the elementary school lunch menu(s) under the former First Lady's "healthy lunch" mandate. This is pretty much the week's menu (not always, but many times): hamburger (frozen, non-meat product)? Meat so tough I couldn't even cut with a plastic fork and tasteless. The vegetables were a small side cup of lettuce & one slice of a tomato. The only other offering was frozen, then baked, french fries. One day might be tacos, ditto the vegetables/side above. Another day - corny dogs....another day pizza and I can't remember the last day's menu. Regardless, my grandchildren refuse to eat in the cafeteria and I, too, have seen way too many lunch plates whose food is tossed. And with the above menu, you'd think they'd love it. Problem is nothing is fresh and everything is frozen and thrown in the oven to bake. A total shame.

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  Darlene Putman

  05/16/2017 10:05 AM

  I totally agree with your comments. School lunches are extremely important. They should be healthy and the kids should receive adequate food! Kids are buying two lunches to have enough to eat or they are not eating the school lunches because they are not appealing to them. Some kids only get what they eat at school each day! There is no food at home! I want them to be healthy and full!!

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  David Snyder

  05/16/2017 09:21 AM

  Amen

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  Fran Mears

  05/16/2017 09:03 AM

  It's one thing to have good, balanced meals, and another thing to not have it appeal to children, or to taste good. Not every child likes everything on any menu, but to have choices that taste good, are appealing and are also healthy for them is more appealing than a mandate to eat it or go hungry. When the food is wasted because no one will eat it, who's purpose is it serving. Veggie plates 3 days a week(with veggie's most children like) and hamburgers, pizza or something else that children really want, would be better all around, than the waste that has gone on during the previous administration.
  

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  William Jakovac

  05/16/2017 01:59 AM

  Mom always packed my lunch of a chipped ham or jumbo sandwich, chips, fruit, desert, and my thermos of milk. Later on in junior and senior high schools, the cafeteria had the best chocolate-iced brownies. The good old 60's!

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  Linda Snyder

  05/16/2017 01:03 AM

  You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. If the food goes into the trash can, that child will go hungry and how do think that will affect his classes for the rest of the day? I think he/she will be thinking about why the lunches are so nasty.

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  Kathy Boker

  05/16/2017 12:14 AM

  First of all, unless Michelle Obama has a degree in nutrition, she has no credibility in deciding what our children eat. And her husband is no longer president so who cares what she thinks about her mandate being overturned..common sense is now coming back..thank God!

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  pat StLouis

  05/15/2017 11:21 PM

  I worked in a school during the lunch hour. You cant force the kids to eat what they dont like. I saw A LOT OF FOOD go into the garbage. What a waste. And there are people starving. We were throwing it away.

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  Lequetta Ward

  05/15/2017 10:42 PM

  I have been a lunch lady for 27 years. I will say that the whole white chicken is a great move. Better beef. The truth is the lunches haven't changed that much. Parents just jumped on the fake news bandwagon. I have seen those pictures and those would now have come out of National school lunch program. I don't like that we have to have so many red and green vegetables a week and they are required to take fruit or vegetables. The big changes were wheat but the amount of wheat in biscuits and. Hot rolls have been cut down. We still have hot roll, chicken and noodles, fried ( baked) chicken home made mac and cheese. Wackie cake . Now for the big news kid will not eat fried chicken the will eat nuggets . They don't like chicken and noodles why because parents don't feed it to them at home so they won't try it at school. Adults eat it but we were raised on food like that . They don't eat fried chicken because there are no family meal with grandma cooking it.
  I think the program would have worked better if they would have started it in the elementary school not the Jr. Highs or High schools. Because we no you are not going to tell Jr high or High school kids anything . We have two meals to choice from and most school do. Please talk to the lunch ladies don't just listen to the news we will be glad to explain the new rules.
  And because of all the parents working against lunch ladies we will soon be a thing of the pass. Most schools are going to company's that will bring your kids food in so you won't no who cooking it.
  And let me address death boxes munchables chicken nuggets in a box not frozen and setting on shelf for month cannot be good check out the boxes.

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  Debi Johnson

  05/15/2017 09:37 PM

  1. The food doesn't do any good in the trash.
  2. Childhood obesity: Frequently due to Diabetes 2, often not diagnosed, or insulin resistance. But when the kids come through the line at school, their tray is carbs, carbs, carbs. Fruit is sugar/carbs - mandatory serving. Whole grain=carbs - mandatory. A whole grain can be served as the protein component for breakfast. Fat-free milk has more carbs than full-fat milk. Vegetables are carbs, but that is OK. So, a child generally starts the day with a whole plate of carbohydrates. Carbs drive the hunger for more carbs.
  3. It isn't fat that makes kids fat. It is sugar & carbs. Fat satisfies hunger. Every time fat is reduced, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, other "stuff", etc. is usually added to improve flavor.
  4. It is the whole USDA food pyramid that is the problem!
  5. There is a lot of gluten sensitivity out there. Often not diagnosed. While it is true that basically all grains, not just whole grains, would put a gluten-sensitive child in the same position, decreasing grains and increasing vegetables for the fiber component would make more sense.
  6. And, no, in general, kids aren't necessarily crazy about vegetables.
  7. The ridiculous management of having to offer/serve all of the colors of fruit categories in minimum quantities each week has put school in a position to pull their salad bars! How ridiculous! They have to ensure that students are offered/receive red vegetables, orange vegetables, etc. in minimum quantities to count, record, and prove it was offered/served. The only red vegetable our kids will eat are tomatoes and red pepper. Sorry, gag me with a spoon - how much sweet potatoes are you supposed to force on a kid? Sweet potato tater tots do not go over well. When I was a kid, the school served sweet potato pie. Believe me, I could tell the difference between sweet potato and pumpkin. And, it isn't just schools and kids. I see the same patterns at my parents senior community dining room! Baked sweet potato, sweet potato fries, sweet potato tater tots.
  8. Costs: Increased costs due to serving more fruit, etc.
  9. I remember when I was in school, we decided which days we wanted to buy lunch as much by the dessert as the main dish. There is no such thing as dessert any more.
  Yes - this is a real pet peeve of mine. There wasn't anything wrong with the meals we served prior to Michelle Obama. It is an administrative nightmare, but then again, they want to legislate the credentials for the "food service director". Come on, we live in a small, rural community - we cannot "grow" our own director? We fell like we just need to fold the whole program. Our low-income kids might just be better off with a gummy vitamin!
  

• 

  Barbara J. Riley

  05/15/2017 09:13 PM

  Totally agree with you Mr. Huckabee. Wasting so much food and money just wrong. Students need realistic food and options of choice. Keep up the good work. Thanks!
  

• 

  Virginia L. Haymaker

  05/15/2017 08:34 PM

  It has been a long time since I've been out of school, and I remember meals not being very appealing. I live in Sebring, Fl and there is a company called CitraPac that makes the most delicious frozen fruit, and they are working with school boards in several states to provide that in the meals for kids. It's much better than a plain orange...no peeling, tastes wonderful, no added sugar, low calorie and it can be frozen for long periods of time....unlike fresh fruit that often gets thrown out because kids are too lazy to peel it. Plus it's fun to eat. That is the kind of food kids would be attracted to....and it's good for them! Check into CitraPac from Sebring, Florida.
  

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  Scott Shepard

  05/15/2017 07:08 PM

  I want to specifically talk about milk. Mandating fat free milk is idiotic.
  First, children need the energy that is in the fat.
  Fat is also what gives a sense of food satisfaction. Drink skim milk and you are still hungry, so you eat cookies and donuts.
  Skim milk makes kids fat.
  You want them to eat less junk? Give them whole milk . Not skim, not 2%, but whole.

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  Tracy Day

  05/15/2017 07:08 PM

  I miss the days of the 'lunch ladies' who actually cooked whole food from scratch in the cafeteria! It was fresh, and tasted good. (And we are better today at making healthier) Today, I'm not sure I can say the same of the frozen food that sits under the heat lamps. Why can't we support local farmers, and maybe even teach kids to grow their own too - all incorporated as part of school lesson plans? Introduce a new fruits/veggies weekly as gov't sponsored snacks at pre-school and continue throughout primary school to get kids eating healthier and introduced to them since many never get to try at home? This was a great thing done in the U.K. Plus, some schools provided food for all - more kids ate healthier outside school too because of this (by influencing their families at home). This also meant no child felt 'singled out' as a free lunch program participant.

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  Paul Treadaway

  05/15/2017 07:01 PM

  I think you are right on target with school lunches. There has to be some middle ground. Unlike Congress Demacracts they want it their way or the highway. My grandkids tell me all the time on how awful some of the food they try and feed them. They end up bringing their lunch. Thanks for tackling this issue.

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  Joan Haack

  05/15/2017 06:42 PM

  I am a former elementary school cook of 25 years. I retired last year after trying to make the food we were to serve edible. It just got to be too much for me. I love to cook and our school was always known in our district as having the best meals. I agree with offering the children more fruits and vegetables, but when we had to go to packaged food, because the companies put on the package what Michelled wanted, instead of making our homemade food for the main course, I lost interest. It was very depressing to see the kids throw their food away when they used to love our food. We too come from a school where we have a lot of kids on free or reduced lunches and so this is probably the only GOOD meal they would get in a day. We could always tell on mondays that the kids were hungrier---probably because the didn't get much to eat over the weekend. By not giving them a good meal at school, it just made it more appealing to them to eat junk food when they got home. It's too bad! I loved to feed the kids and it just took all the enjoyment out of my job. I would still be working if I could have made them homemade recipes like I used to.
  

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  Mark Brimmer

  05/15/2017 06:33 PM

  Mr Huckabee why does the federal gov. have to get into any of this. Let the Schools do there part like the used to do. There are dietitians that I'm sure can put a good lunch together that kids will eat.
  Most of what they get now will ho in the trash. States loss thousands of dollars each year from food from food in the trash. Time to put a stop to this and get it right. Leave it to each school to decide what there kids will eat. !!!!!!

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  Charlotte Daugherty

  05/15/2017 06:30 PM

  I read many of the comments left for you from more informed people than Michelle Obama. If the lunch food was thrown away some children probably had nothing to eat that day at all. I would imagine the Obama girls had choices.

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  clarence russell dickson

  05/15/2017 06:09 PM

  I totally agree ,,, but my real comment is ,,,,, your daughter is doing great in her new gig ,,,, chip off the old block ,, clear precise thoughts , laid out with a definite , clear line of reason ,,, she really has a gift !!!

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  clarence russell dickson

  05/15/2017 06:08 PM

  I totally agree ,,, but my real comment is ,,,,, your daughter is doing great in her new gig ,,,, chip off the old block ,, clear precise thoughts , laid out with a definite , clear line of reason ,,, she really has a gift !!!

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  Joy Hakes

  05/15/2017 05:23 PM

  Let the schools and people eat what they want. So it doesn't end up in the trash. I think most cafeteria cooks try and make a balanced lunch.

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  Joanne Sgrignoli

  05/15/2017 05:20 PM

  Nutrition is important and should be taught to kids, along with other critical life skills. Maje it a part of their 'normal ' They'll take it home with them. Cooking classes 1 ir 2 marking oeriods, perhaps.

  However, there should be no specific mandate. Rather, goals and lists of healthy foods should be provided and the school district should take it from there. They should be allowed to have pizza or burger days, served with healthier options, e.g. sweet potato fries. Let them be creative!

  Get kids excited about what good nutrition & hydration does for them. A glass of water first thing in the morning helps the brain function better.

  Once you do that, It's a piece of cake... carrot cake; that is.

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  Joanne Sgrignoli

  05/15/2017 05:19 PM

  Nutrition is important and should be taught to kids, along with other critical life skills. Maje it a part of their 'normal ' They'll take it home with them. Cooking classes 1 ir 2 marking oeriods, perhaps.

  However, there should be no specific mandate. Rather, goals and lists of healthy foods should be provided and the school district should take it from there. They should be allowed to have pizza or burger days, served with healthier options, e.g. sweet potato fries. Let them be creative!

  Get kids excited about what good nutrition & hydration does for them. A glass of water first thing in the morning helps the brain function better.

  Once you do that, It's a piece of cake... carrot cake; that is.

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  ELAINE KREHBIEL

  05/15/2017 05:15 PM

  If it is going in the trash, it is a waste of time and money, and children are not getting any nutrition. The government has gotten more and more into school lunches until it is no wonder it is inedible. Forty/fifty years ago, when I was in school in the Garden Spot of the World, the cafeteria workers came in during the summer and canned vegetable, fruits, meats. This was done in the school cafeteria. Our lunches were wonderful, nutritious, and well balanced. They were not junk food and there was no way obesity was even thought of coming from those lunches. I have seen school lunches go down hill from there. Sad.

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  Brian Fisher

  05/15/2017 05:11 PM

  Obama is a joke and a disgrace to the United States
  

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  Sue Watson

  05/15/2017 05:07 PM

  I tried to eat a hamburger with a grandchild at his school and it truly gagged me. wherever I have gone to eat I have always tried to be gracious and eat the food I was given but no one could have swallowed that food.

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  kim wiggins

  05/15/2017 04:56 PM

  U R AWESOME!!!!

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  Patty Hager

  05/15/2017 04:55 PM

  I get that she had some kind of agenda as First Lady. Each does. But she took this agenda too far! You can't expect children to accept vegetables or other foods that they have not had before overnight. You gradually introduce them to new things. The food she wanted prepared did end up in trash cans at a cost to taxpayers because of her unwillingness to change. I think she felt that since she was this black First Lady married to this black president that people would fall head over heels for her menu ideas. Well it did not work that way. There is healthy and there is o re healthy and I have to ask the question...did her daughters eat the same kind of food as she was forcing on school children? I seriously doubt that happened!!!!!

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  christine giannini

  05/15/2017 04:53 PM

  without give and take resolve will never be.

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  Jean Glass Meuser

  05/15/2017 04:52 PM

  We are in an era of time. Values have been lost. Included in values are faith and trust in our creator. Even though there might be good intent on the part of the (x) first lady, no one person has the right to establish mandates for what other people eat. First; Healthy eating should be a desire based on the facts. It contributes to health, NOT what doctors prescribe. (poison in drugs) 1 Cor. 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. How can what we drink or eat bring Glory to God? By honoring HIM in maintaining gift of good health HE has given us. Romans 14:17 Shouldn't we consider what we eat a place of peace and joy in knowing we are giving back to GOD to eat with one purpose; to provide what our miracle bodies need; To be filled because we are hungry. To provide the nutrients from good choices that contribute to health. 1 Cor.3:16,17 Don't we defile the body by dumping garbage in? ( garbage out) <<< Which has been proven to contribute to lack of health. A pathway to disease. God did not create our bodies to be pharmaceutical "garbage dumps" as a way of life. Something to think about. Last but not least: 1 Cor 6:19:20. I choose life!! For health. Other people can't know why my choices for health are what they are. ( eating for health) Most important; God does because I thank him everyday that I do have good health. (for 70 years next month) God Bless you always Gov. Huckabee. By the way, you (were) my Governor. :) Thank you for all you do.

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  Scott Habighorst

  05/15/2017 04:52 PM

  Who cares???

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  Debra Sober

  05/15/2017 04:39 PM

  Michelle's healthy eating plan was attrocious for kids. Either the potions weren't sufficient, or the food was absolutely gross looking--something no kid would touch. Did her OWN kids eat like this? I think not.

  Personally, I couldn't care less what this women is upset about, nor what her husband is doing. I (and I would imagine millions of others) wish I never had to hear from them again. But of course, we know that Barrack is too full of himself to fade into the sunset like most other presidents have done.

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  Jennifer Irwin

  05/15/2017 04:34 PM

  Thank you so much for all you do! You take what can be a confusing time and help to clarify for so many of us!
  Most mothers know the importance of a good meal for their children, how we can help with their learning and growth. Mothers with children of special needs… Seem to be "On" 24/7. My husband, from the time we were married 33 years ago… Within months was diagnosed with type 1/insulin-dependent diabetes. Both my first and second of three children were both diagnosed with type one diabetes in there ninth year. Nutrition and learning balance of carbohydrates, calories, and fats… All play a role and can determine your health as an adult. Our daughter was a brittle diabetic and we almost lost her more than once to DKA ( diabetic ketoacidosis ) coma. The house was to say the least… A tad busy! But always having to be on point with nutrition… The changing elements of how diabetics would have to look at their diet, constantly changing with more a new discoveries of how food affects the body. But Michelle Obama was way off… I'm sure her intention was good… But I'm not sure who directed her! With diabetes, I had to relearn all the "Comfort Foods" I had learned as a child… Cooking to nourish and keep blood sugar levels at healthy controllable levels… But, there's always a but! The one rule was always… It's no sense making a good nutritious food if you can't make it to be something they will eat and enjoy!… It will end up in the trash! But also, the kids and Tim all knew even with their diabetes
  They could have treats/desserts/carbohydrates… But all by BALANCE & PORTIONING! What's really important for diabetics is important for all of us… And the old rule that my grandparents taught me… " too much of anything is it good!"
  Okay! I'm done preaching now! No pun intended! Lol.

  Alway's in Christ! Jen Irwin

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  B. Gray

  05/15/2017 04:34 PM

  Calories should not be limited by the school system. During high school, my son developed sports induced hypoglycemia after Michelle's program started. His day started lifting weights, school, cross country practice then on to competitive soccer. With neither sport being a primary sport, there was no additional food provided by sponsors. Despite the fact that he was not on the free lunch program, they still wouldn't let him purchase the additional calories needed. Before you think I'm a bad parent, I tried packing him extra food. However, he's a typical teenage boy and the extra food would be sitting forgotten in some other location when it was needed.

  This doesn't even include the children who have parents who don't provide for them as they should and need extra calories to sustain them.

  Let Michelle give up the good life and start eating a school lunch every day.

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  Pauline Osborne

  05/15/2017 04:22 PM

  I am a senior now and out of school longtime, children also grown up ..BUT I would think if they started with one healthy item added to the plate and give children a choice , the schools might have done better. Another thing it should not be forced or no funding. schools should do things their way.

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  Jill Steele

  05/15/2017 04:14 PM

  Thanks, Mike! I am an elementary school principal and I agree with you that the goal must be for healthier and more appealing choices for students! Guiding students to make good lifestyle choices from two healthy and appealing options gives them the opportunity to choose within a healthy set of parameters.
  Locally grown options would be amazing. The food contracts seem to dictate here.

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  Carla sutherland

  05/15/2017 04:10 PM

  As a mother of three and past PTA officer of a school that was 65% free or reduced lunch I really objected to the program changes she made. The removal of the pop machines I agreed with. A wholesome diet but not starvation by putting things on the menu that the adults would not want to eat. Some of the kids these were the only meals they got each day . Nice to see the weekend and summer care bags are in place in some schools. I always worried about some of our kids going hungry. Now that is something I hope mrs. Devoss addresses. I bet the Obama children are better than that.

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  Laura ODonnell

  05/15/2017 04:10 PM

  Mike, I'm glad she's upset about the new lunch program for the schools and her program is ending. The food that is served in elementary schools in my district, where my son goes, is in edible. Half the kids in his school are on a free lunch program, title 1, they don't eat what is offered to them. How can children who probably only have one meal a day, which is in school, turn away something that should be nutritious? Obviously it is not nutritious, nor is it taste worthy for a child to want to consume in only meal for the day but throw it out. The schools in our district our title I, meaning at least 25% of the children are at poverty level. Being a title I school means that you have to offer things that they do not get at home. One of which is food and nutrition. Michelle Obama lined her pockets with a deal from a food company (or distributor) that would manufacture and or sell school lunches across the country. I don't know how or why this got past but it needs to be changed. The quality is what is in question. Can you explain to us what is currently on the agenda for school lunches across the country? Thank you very much

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  Janet

  05/15/2017 04:06 PM

  School lunches haven't changed much over the decades. But Michelle made them worse with her demands over calories and fat. What she has forgotten is that growing children need calories and fat to help with growth and development. Their brains need fat to develop function and bodies need calories for energy. Run out of both and you have kids that will not grow and will pig out on junk. Make it a priority when young to teach about proper nutrition.

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  Bart Laber

  05/15/2017 04:04 PM

  Gov. Huckabee,

  We make our son's lunch every day because he does not like the school's lunches. Thank you for all that you do!

  Bart Laber
  Lexington, SC

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  GEORGE THIESSEN

  05/15/2017 04:01 PM

  THE FOOD POLICE CAUSE MUCH MORE HARM THAN THEY DO GOOD YOU CANNOT FORCE PEOPLE TO EAT HEALTHY IF THE DO NOT WANT TO

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  Wanda Stephenson

  05/15/2017 03:58 PM

  We are people who eat home cooked meals 28 days in a 30 day month, so needless to say we grocery shop a great deal. I don't think the school lunches have as much of an impact on obesity as to the fact that SNAP card holders buy way too much junk food, ready made food and fast foods with their monies, that is where there need to be limitations....

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  Angelia M. Purvis

  05/15/2017 03:57 PM

  I grew up in El Dorado, AR in the 1960's and 1970's. We had some of the best school lunches. Thursdays were either turkey and dressing or fried chicken or some big Thanksgiving style meal. We had homemade chili and grilled cheese other days, chicken fried steak and black eyed peas, homemade pizza, sloppy joes, homemade macaroni and cheese and fish sticks, so on. We always had hot rolls or corn bread, a homemade dessert, (I loved the peach cobbler). Ketchup was NEVER used as a vegetable. We had REAL vegetables. Our lunch ladies actually cooked the meals. They weren't prepackaged, frozen TV dinner type meals. They were satisfying! My kids, on the other hand had prepackaged food even under Michelle's plan, (in Texas). They always came home hungry! I don't remember going home ravaged after eating the home style meals we had in the El Dorado School District. We weren't fat either! Those lunch ladies were special back then. When we went through the lines, there was no wall separating the workers from the servers in the lunch line so we kids could see the work that was being done. It was a good time and I really didn't know it back then. If the school lunches could be that way now, kids who don't even know what a home cooked meal is like might actually get to experience it.

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  JIM P. WILLIAMS

  05/15/2017 03:54 PM

  Mike - I think you really nailed this issue. It would really be interesting to hear the financial impact on the schools when soda vending machines were removed and "healthy" food implemented. The late SCOTUS Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote about the differences of "ought" and "is" when applied to the law. I believe the theory of "ought" and "is" applies to the school food/obesity issue. The inherent problem with this theory is that forcing "ought" on the citizens rarely works.

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  Sharon Scha

  05/15/2017 03:47 PM

  Diversity is also an issue. Socio-economic, cultural, and regional diversity play a role in our food preference.