I'm registered for a class this semester in which I'll be learning about a topic I'm passionate about - the politics of food and nutrition in the US. It happens to be a particularly interesting time in that regard, because there is a new law that was just signed called the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.
I have not yet sat down and read through the whole bill. I know that it generally will setting standards for food in schools, including in the vending machines and limiting bake sales. But I am curious to see which of the egregious errors of the system will still be in place. For instance, are we requiring that the sugar-laced milks be removed from the schools? Are we limiting how often hamburgers or crappy pizza are served? Note - fresh pizza from scratch would be far preferable. Part of the issue is the highly processed foods that have been brought into the schools. the more the foods are processed, the less nutritional content remains. Which is so many of them are fortified...
A huge issue I only recently became aware of is that the nutrition standards in the US are set by the USDA. The role of the USDA is to promote agricultural business. That why instead of saying "limit fats and sugars", or "lessen the amount of meat you eat", guides use fuzzy terms like "choose lean meat" or "eat fats and sugars in moderation".
I am wondering if maybe we would be best served to have a grass roots movement to put nutrition back into the hands of those who actually study it, not those who must answer to the companies who sell food.
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