There's always been food waste even before Moochelle - especially the free and reduced program - they should have beat this drum years ago!!

The waste is totally beside the point. The whole purpose of programs such as this one is to subsidize farmers. It doesn't make any difference where the food goes as long as the farmer gets his government check and the politician gets the vote.

Duh! Who could not see this coming? Imbeciles!

Socialist always go too far and are rejected by the people. They are evil.

As a teacher I have eaten many cafeteria meals. The greatest change to the meals has been the removal of virtually any salt for seasoning. The food is bland and tasteless. And I have yet to see a vegetable that hasn't been cooked to death. On the other hand, the cheap prepared foods are full of carbohydrates. Every meal is a carb loaded insulin festival. The kids are so lethargic after lunch it is hard for some to keep awake.

Sensible food choices are the key to kids eating better. Not government food choices, but food choices by local school systems. But we all know that as long as Fedzilla continues to dangle fiscal kibble in front of the States and local governments we will all bow before the all knowing, all seeing federal government. Heil Liberals!

Thanks # 5.

Also, how many parents are doing some investigating where this food comes from.

Not necessarily from USA farmers. Much may be from China where its grown under "way less" than desireable conditions with human waste and worse.

There is something for the PTA to do instead of being anti-charter schools.

Who elected this Michelle food queen?

Mooch has connections to food police from her Chicago days.. Orange tree something? This is to get ever more control of food providers.. And shovel money to her buddies...

We send our kids to school with lunch.

No one else should be paying to feed my kids.

I am totally confused...why is the federal govn't providing breakfast, lunch and dinner for minor age children? Is this not the responsibility of parents who gave life to them? And why are public funded schools in the business of being a restaurant with menu selections?

Do not these same families that qualify for food stamps go shopping on the taxpayers' dime to supposedly feed their families? So why do these same kids need breakfast, lunch and dinner at school.

Clearly, none of these programs are working as the same people are not working, yet collecting every benefit from the govn't under the planet and now enlisting their children, grand children and great grand children into the amazing free-feeding trough they have known since the mid-sixties.

Fifty years plus and two generations who know nothing other than a govn't hand out.

How is that big screen TV and cell phone working out for you?

And America is worried about veggies vs. hamburgers. These people would not even know how to calculate a BMI table.

It' not just in schools. I see kids walk up to the food sample lady in my grocery store that won't touch a vegetable. After school it is like snack time there, including a cookie from the bakery.

Sounds like schools are good places to go dumpster diving if you are hungry.

The socialist food nazis have lost to the American kids LOL.

Michele will have to go full commie and use force--more force than just demand they put it on they trays.

How many employees to hold the kids down and spoon feeds them their veggies. Raw veggies take time and effort to chew. Make good snack food. Passing them around at reading time might get more takers but then, that isn't what school or our education dollars are for is it?

I'm confused. On one hand the Government tells us that we have fat school kids. On the other hand the Government tells us that kids are starving so they need that extra free meal. The answer is to let the parents take care of their own kids. The schools should just focus on education. Let the parents have a say on what their kids eat. Better yet, let the parents have a say on where their kids get this education.

Bravo, #10.

I'm surprised so many readers are surprised that school lunches come with school. This is not a new thing. It's been 40 years since I entered school and we had lunch there. I can't imagine every poster is that much older than me and surely most of you have eaten a school lunch or two?

To address the poster wondering where the food comes from,manyu schools have been contracting with local farmers to buy locally grown and fed food for the school lunch program with much success. Google Farm to School, for more info.

Schools also send food home with kids for th weekend. What are food stamps for? To sell for cash.

Yup, it all goes in the garbage. That's the whole point. So, in the not too distant future, the vendor (dem contributor) doesn't even deliver the food, pockets the money. Nobody notices, nobody cares.

I used to know somebody who owned a couple of ice cream franchises. Can't prove sales volume of perishables. Big tax dodge.

To see how the Obama girls dine at school, go to:

http://www.sidwell.edu/upper-middle-school-campus-tour/index.aspx

Scroll down a little to the columns of clickable names to find pop-up photographs of that building or amenity. Click on "Dining Room" to bring up a mini-gallery of the DR.

The first photo shows what appears to be a delicious-looking chicken dish, plus salad and something else that looks tasty. More food choices seem to be in the background. Other photos show more of the inviting offerings, like the goat cheese and strawberries. Close that out and check out The Fox Den. Looks like a nice selection of drinks and snacks for the still-hungry. I think I see chips and definitely bagels. Maybe granola bars. Can't read most of the menu but I see "shakes."

Perhaps over the holidays the Mooch could feed her daughters the same kind of crap she's shoving down kids at public schools, see what their opinions are.

Beg pardon for this afterthought post, but I just discovered where you can see menus at Sidwell. Following is yesterday's menu (for Lower School and Middle/Upper Schools):

Fri Oct 19
LS

Snack: Local Apples & Cheese
Classic Caesar Salad
All Natural Meatball Subs
Mediterranean Ragout
Steamed Fresh Broccoli
Italian Ice Variety

MS/US

Soup du Jour
Basque Tomato Salad
FFY Caesar Salad
All Natural Meatball Subs
Sundried Tomato Portobello Pasta
Steamed Broccoli
Fun Dessert

Last Tuesday's:

Tue Oct 16
LS

Snack: Pretzels & Cheese
Tortilla Soup
Deviled Egg Salad
Mexican Shredded Chicken
Soft Tortillas
Mexican Pinto Beans
Shredded Lettuce, Salsa & Cheese
Spanish Rice
Red Grapes

MS/US

Tortilla Soup
Corn & Pepper Salad
Deviled Egg Salad
Mexican Shredded Chicken
Soft Tortillas
Mexican Pinto Beans, Lettuce, all the Fixins
Fresh Cilantro Roasted Carrots
Spanish Rice
Red Grapes

http://www.sidwell.edu/parents/index.aspx?lunchStartDate=10/16/2012

Makes me go into cold anger mode.

I have a better idea, take the food the kids don't eat and force the USDA bureaucrats and Moochie to eat all of it!

The Sidwell menu sounds like something from a 5 star restaurant. Do they also serve arugula and fennel salad with lobster thermador?

This article sums up the difference between Democrats and Republicans nicely. Republicans believe in choosing; Democrats believe in force. As the House Republicans say, if fruits and veggies were offered as a choice rather than as the only food available, far less would be thrown away.

P.S., those Sidwell menus sound delicious. Too bad public schools will never have the chance to offer such fare.