And here's my other ish: free/subsidized breakfast and lunch are a HUGE proportion of the students where I grew up. I knew a lot of kids for whom those two meals were their primary source of food. And if that is a lousy example and nutritionally bankrupt? Yeah, not so good. So I am perfectly happy with aiming the cannon scattershot if it at least raises awareness. Diabetes is a huge issue in my home(s) community. Access to decent grocery is also a huge issue in my current community. If you have to grocery shop at 7-11?

I've actually been impressed at the produce section of the SuperWalmart in the far-out burbs of Birmingham where my brother lives.

Talk of the Nation on Thursday had a segment on "reconsidering Wal-Mart" -- not just because of the economy, but also because a lot of the stores sell local organic produce at really good prices. I had no idea. I still dislike Wal-Mart, but I do find the organic produce thing interesting.

That's just not going to work.

I'm sorry, I just can't agree with that.

Let's Move is also talking about food availability. It's not like the administration doesn't know what the issues are.

Well, requiring milk is unlikely to change any time soon. That it tends to be chocolate certainly can. Lobbying for fewer carbs in the required gov. lunch seems feasable.

Local farms supplying federal lunch programs is probably, at this point, un-doable. What processed foods are required? The regulations are that if you take any gov. subsidies you can't buy any foods that aren't?

It sounds like an unholy mess.

OK, let me rephrase. I have never seen anything that's convinced me that school lunches can be changed on anything other than a federal level, and the meat and dairy lobbies have a lot of influence on making sure that does not happen. This show seems much more about shaming the parents and schools than about making actual changes.

That's just not going to work.

I'm sorry, I just can't agree with that.

My school always had skim. There was no battle at all. I don't think that's a regulations thing so much as local crap.

I think drawing attention to it is one of the only ways you're going to show parents that those lobbies do have such a strong hold on the nutrition programs, though.

And I don't get that he's shaming anyone. Not intentionally. He seems to genuinely care about health.

What processed foods are required? The regulations are that if you take any gov. subsidies you can't buy any foods that aren't?

The government funding for school lunches are partially in cash and partially in "commodity foods." For each school lunch sold at regular price, the school gets a certain amount of cash plus a certain amount of food, which is generally frozen or canned vegetables, fries and tater tots, instant mashed potatoes, cheese, ground beef, and chicken patties. The schools usually don't have much choice about what foods they get as commodity foods. They get more cash and more food for reduced-price and free lunches. If the school doesn't use the processed food that they get as commodity foods, then they're wasting a pretty significant part of their food budget.

Hooray shame! If Jamie Oliver won't shame the fatties, who will???

Oh, right- EVERYONE.

I get so tired of Teh Humans. Hmm, maybe I'm just tired?