Happy birthday Mrs. Obama? Trump admin replaces Michelle’s ‘healthy school lunches’ with pretty suspicious timing
The US Department of Agriculture has announced new rules for school lunches, which could see the fruit and veggies championed by Michelle Obama replaced by pizza and fries. The changes were announced on ex-First Lady’s birthday.
USDA Deputy Under Secretary Brandon Lipps revealed the changes on Friday. Aimed at reducing food waste, the new rules will allow schools to cut the amount of fruit and vegetables served at breakfast and lunch, effectively freeing them up to make up the calories with pizza, burgers, fries and snacks.
Food industry lobbyists have been pushing for such changes since the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency.
While cutting the amount of fruits and veggies that schools are required to serve, the Trump administration is allowing more burgers and fries. https://t.co/rjmxjACMPdpic.twitter.com/C7PBUBOp8T
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) January 17, 2020
Until now, federal guidelines mandated that schoolkids fed by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service – nearly 30 million of them in 99,000 schools – received lowfat milk, reduced portion sizes, more fruit and vegetables, and less salt, sugar and fat.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was the signature achievement of former First Lady Michelle Obama, and given that the McDonald’s-loving commander-in-chief has dedicated much of his presidency to tearing down the legacy of Barack Obama, it’s hard to imagine Trump didn’t have a hand in choosing Friday – Michelle Obama’s birthday – for the USDA’s announcement.
The move may prove unpopular with parents and nutritionists, but schoolkids themselves will no doubt be happy. When the Obama-era lunches hit cafeterias in 2014, children shared photos of their lunch trays on Twitter, complaining about the “gross” meals they were served.
These same kids took to Twitter again on Friday to hound the former First Lady for “ruining school lunch.”
michelle obama gave us some wack ass school lunch bruh tf am i eating pic.twitter.com/20yukaLlGm
— ryqns (@sonyvx2000) January 16, 2020
happy birthday, but why did u ruin my school lunch, Michelle?😔
— 🃏 (@jovanixflores) January 17, 2020
although michelle obama is in the right here, middle school me will never be able to forgive her for what she did to our lunches https://t.co/u0btuUyC5F
— ♡⁷ (@chimslovelys) January 17, 2020
The fact that Michelle Obama ruined school lunches is the only truly bipartisan political position left
— Dylan (@dminiiii) January 11, 2020
Even older Republicans used the occasion to engage in a spot of puerile Obama-bashing:
Who the heck is Michelle Obama to tell schools what they can serve kids for lunch? And so what if it’s her birthday? Happy birthday! Now pass the burger and fries https://t.co/GmitOOwLml
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) January 17, 2020
Last year, as the Trump administration rolled back restrictions on milk and sodium content in school lunches, the USDA concluded in a report that the Obama lunch plan “had a positive and significant influence on nutritional quality,” and cut down on “empty calories” served to students.
Try telling that to a third-grader facing into a bowl of broccoli though.
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