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Posted by
Olog-hai
on Fri Mar 27 21:22:32 2015
fiogf49gjkf0d WLOS, ABC 13, Asheville NC
School District Losing Thousands in School Lunch SalesUpdated: Thursday, March 26 2015, 12:20 PM EDTThousands of students have now stopped buying lunch each week in Buncombe County cafeterias.
The district says it all started when schools were forced to implement the USDA's Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act. It was part of first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative to get kids to eat healthier.
All of a sudden, kids are pitching pounds of food in the garbage.
"I like vegetables too, like I like spinach and potatoes — great — but they just don't have any flavor at all," freshman Aislinn French said.
The 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act slapped strict salt regulations on schools saying nothing but whole grains, and now fruit and veggies must be on the tray. It they're not on there, the cashier must put them there for students.
Hundreds of kids have now dropped out of the lunch program. Over the last two years, Buncombe County says they've lost about $1.2 million in sales. It's downsized its staff, equipment is getting old and the current menu has less options.
"North Carolina was the third state in the nation to be in compliance with the USDA regulations of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act and we have been punished severely with declining participation," Buncombe County nutrition director Lisa Payne said.
It's mostly federal money that keeps Buncombe cafeteria food on the table.
Payne said she's doing her best to work around these regulations; she's trying to cook more from scratch and get the freshest produce. She says, like Haywood County, she's gotten a waiver from the government so she can make southern-style biscuits again.
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