Obama Admin Bans Junk Food in Schools

In another from-the-top decree, President Obama and his USDA have used regulatory powers to officially ban all junk foods from the nation’s schools.

The USDA has banned all food it deems unsuitable for kids and bases its power to demand such things on the fact that schools receive federal money for education. With federal money come federal strings.

The federal food agency announced that it is allowing schools to hold bake sales to raise funds without federal interference, but still insists that the new rules will “Help” make ” the healthy choice the easy choice for America’s young people.”

The new rules will require that vending machines operated by outside vendors will only be allowed to offer a fruit, vegetable, dairy product, lean-protein product, whole-grain food. They will also be restrained to 200 calories for “snacks” and 350 calories for “entrees.”

A recent entry at a food blog also reported that:

Items sold on campus must not contain more than 35 percent sugar by weight, more than 35 percent calories from fat, more than 10 percent calories from saturated fat, and cannot contain trans fats. The only competitive beverages that can be sold are water (both sparkling and flat), low-fat or no-fat milk, or 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice–maxing out at 12 oz for middle and high schoolers (8 oz for elementary schools).

Meanwhile, kids across the country have been protesting the Spartan lunches required under First Lady Michelle Obama’s increasingly ill-fated school lunch regulations. Many schools are even opting out of Obama’s demands saying the lunches don’t give kids enough energy to keep going through the day. Even in liberal New York one district has dumped Michelle’s lunch program.

Complaints over Obama’s school lunch requirements grew so loud that the USDA itself agreed to loosen the rules to give school districts more flexibility.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com