Yes, it’s the Onion. That doesn’t stop it from being disturbingly entertaining because of the near-believability of its premise:
Entries Tagged as 'War on Nummy Treats'
Fast Food Feedbags
9 June 2008 · No Comments
Tags: Odd · Fast Food Feedbags · War on Nummy Treats
The War on Nummy Treats Goes Federal
2 December 2007 · Comments Off
Seen in the New York Times:
Federal lawmakers are considering the broadest effort ever to limit what children eat: a national ban on selling candy, sugary soda and salty, fatty food in school snack bars, vending machines and cafeteria lines.[...]
The nutrition standards would allow only plain bottled water and eight-ounce servings of fruit juice or plain or flavored low-fat milk with up to 170 calories to be sold in elementary and middle schools. High school students could also buy diet soda or, in places like school gyms, sports drinks. Other drinks with as many as 66 calories per eight ounces could be sold in high schools, but that threshold would drop to 25 calories per eight-ounce serving in five years.
Food for sale would have to be limited in saturated and trans fat and have less than 35 percent sugar. Sodium would be limited, and snacks must have no more than 180 calories per serving for middle and elementary schools and 200 calories for high schools.
As can be expected, there appears to be quite a bit of squabbling over this, ranging from folks upset at federal involvement in traditionally local matters, to folks upset at the loopholes carved out to permit certain corporations access to the schools. Oh, and let’s not forget about the folks who are upset that states or local school boards wouldn’t be permitted to come up with more stringent standards.
Personally, I don’t think the proposals are necessarily a bad idea, but isn’t it just too easy to read this article, and imagine what other meddling the feds could do if, say, health care were nationalized?
Tags: Health · War on Nummy Treats
