The Student News Website of Susquehannock High School,   Glen Rock, Pennsylvania.

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The Student News Website of Susquehannock High School,   Glen Rock, Pennsylvania.

SHS Courier

The Student News Website of Susquehannock High School,   Glen Rock, Pennsylvania.

SHS Courier

First Lady’s plan does not hit expectations

First Ladys plan does not hit expectations

   In 2012, the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act[HHFK] was passed by the federal government.

   But from which of our elected officials did this law originate? It was not a congressman, nor the President.  In fact, our cafeteria changes are not due to a man or woman the Americans chose at all.

   The HHFK Act was the brainchild of First Lady Michelle Obama. Because of it, the Susquehannock cafeteria has had to switch to whole grains, reduced salt, and fat-free food items.  According to head chef Bruce Thens, even the ice cream is no longer the same; it is instead Blue Bunny Cool Daze low fat ice cream.

Cafeterias are at the heart of the First Lady's program.  Photo by Eli Holloway.
Cafeterias are at the heart of the First Lady’s program. Photo by Eli Holloway.

   The act was passed in 2010 by Congress, but it was initiated by Michelle Obama in response to a child obesity rate that she perceived was high enough to warrant government involvement.

   However, her plan has not worked.  The age group where child obesity was most rampant when Obama took office was teenagers.

   The current obesity rate in children 12-19 is 20.5%, the same as it was in a 2003-2004 study.  On the positive side, the numbers for kids ages 2-5 have gone down.  The First Lady has done an effective job at reaching young children, but cannot reach the older teenagers.  Looks like as soon as Sesame Street goes off, the pounds go on.

   Michelle Obama is pushing teens toward obesity, not pulling them away.  By not allowing a small dose of sugar and fat in school, she tempts them to overeat at home.  At young ages, parents control what kids eat; therefore, they are able to keep them on Obama’s plan.  With the freedom kids gain in their teenage years, the ability to choose the food we consume follows, and the choices worsen.

   Unfortunately, Thens reported that schools were not ready for the change either.

   “Sales have gone down since 2010,” said Thens.  “It has hurt our gross income.  Part of the reason is this new program.”

Sales are down in the cafeteria, which hurts our school.  Photo by Eli Holloway.
Sales are down in the cafeteria, which hurts our school. Photo by Eli Holloway.

   Indeed, times are tough, and family income is down.  However, it is also hard to justify paying for a lunch that students are not fond of.

   Sophomore Kurt Eckenrode does not hate the lunches, but knows there is room for improvement.

   “She made everything healthy,” said Eckenrode.  “Anything with fat and sugar, we just aren’t allowed to have.”

   The school lunches are not low quality.  The problem is not taste, but quantity.  The amount of food given is not enough to keep kids from vending machines and Rutter’s ice cream once they get home.  By not feeding growing teens enough food, the First Lady is hurting young Americans by sending them home hungry.

   In any case, First Lady Michelle Obama has overstepped her bounds.  A mother of two girls, she has offered a plan to feed millions of football players, AP students and young actors which is leaving them with the same obesity problem they have had since 2003.  After four years of failure, it is time for a new plan, which may be to simply step back.

It is time for another change in America.  Photo by Eli Holloway.
It is time for another change in America. Photo by Eli Holloway.

 

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First Lady’s plan does not hit expectations