Search

Results

Be all you can be but don’t eat all you can eat

25 Apr 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Lord "made us," says the psalmist this Sunday. So what made the U.S. a nation with a serious obesity problem? A group of retired military officers blame high-calorie school lunches, which they say are making young people too overweight to serve in the military. A study by the group "Mission: Readiness" finds that school lunches are making American kids so overweight that fewer of them can meet the military's physical fitness standards. That, in turn, is putting recruitment in jeopardy. A report from the group released Tuesday says that 27 percent of Americans ages 17 to 24 are too overweight to join the military. One of the officers, retired Navy Rear Admiral James Barnett Jr., said many young Americans are simply too fat to fight. The officers are pushing for passage of a wide-ranging nutrition bill that aims to make the nation's school lunches healthier. Source: An article by Mary Clare Jalonick for the Associated Press

Children young people obesity united states mission readiness school lunches james barnett jr
“Where’s the beef?” critics ask about “pink slime”

18 Mar 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Commenting on Israel’s dramatic fall from grace in this Sundays’ first reading, Alice Camile writes in PrepareTheWord's Exploring the Word that “human nature hasn’t changed much in thousands of years.” Now as then we tend to “pollute what is sacred, mock prophets, disdain good advice, and ignore all timely warnings.” Perhaps the power of social media can get people to start paying attention. At least that is the case when it comes to a meat product critics refer to as “pink slime.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that starting this fall schools will be able to choose whether or not to buy hamburger that contains the meat product under attack. The manufacturer calls it “lean finely textured beef" but the term “pink slime” has been used to describe it for years—celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has railed against it and McDonald's discontinued its use of the meat last year. “Pink slime” outrage reached new heights last week amid reports by several news outlets highlighting the U.S. Department of Agriculture's purchase of meat that included the ingredient for school lunches. The story touched a nerve with Houston resident Bettina Siegel, whose blog “The Lunch Tray” focuses on kids’ food. She started an online petition asking Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to put an immediate end to the use of “pink slime” in school food. “When I put it up, I had this moment of embarrassment,” she said. “What if only 10 people sign this?” But within a week the electronic petition had more than 220,000 signatures. The USDA--which did not directly address Siegel's petition in its announcement Thursday--buys about a fifth of the food served in schools nationwide. The agency this year is contracted to buy 111.5 million pounds of ground beef for the National School Lunch Program. “It kind of looks like play dough,” said Kit Foshee, who until 2001 was a corporate quality assurance manager at Beef Products Inc. (BPI), the company that makes the textured beef. “It's pink and frozen, it's not what the typical person would consider meat.” Foshee said he was fired by BPI after complaining about the process used to make the filler as well as the company's claims about it. Since then he has spoken out against the product. The National Meat Association defends the meat and denies that it is unsafe or is made from scraps otherwise destined for pet food. But food policy expert Marion Nestle said the focus on safety misses the larger point. “I'm not arguing that that stuff is unsafe,” she said. “I'm arguing that it's the lowest common denominator.” Sources: Articles by Jim Avila for ABC News, the Associated Press, and The Huffington Post

us department of agriculture beef products inc kit foshee lean finely textured beef bettina siegel the lunch tray pink slime beef school lunches marion nestle
School lunch tragedy strikes India

21 Jul 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

When Abraham and Sarah prepared a feast for their three mysterious guests in this Sunday’s first reading, no doubt they made it with great care, assuring their visitors a safe and delicious meal. Children eating lunch at a school in a village in eastern India were not so fortunate: Improperly prepared food tainted with insecticide took the lives of at least 22 children ages 5 to 12 Tuesday, and several dozen more were hospitalized.It was not immediately clear how chemicals ended up in the food at a school in the eastern state of Bihar. One official said the food may not have been properly washed before it was cooked. The children fell ill soon after eating lunch in Gandamal village in Masrakh block, 50 miles north of the state capital of Patna. School authorities immediately stopped serving the meal of rice, lentils, soybeans, and potatoes as the children started getting sick.The lunch, part of a popular national campaign to give at least one daily hot meal to children from poor families, was cooked in the school kitchen. The children were rushed to a local hospital and later to Patna for treatment, said state official Abhijit Sinha.Authorities suspended an official in charge of the free meal scheme in the school and registered a case of criminal negligence against the school headmistress, who fled as soon as the children fell ill.India's midday meal project is one of the world's biggest school nutrition programs. State governments have the freedom to decide on menus and timings of the meals, depending on local conditions and availability of food rations. It was first introduced in southern India, where it was seen as an incentive for poor parents to send their children to school.Since then the program has been replicated across the country, covering some 120 million schoolchildren. It's part of an effort to address concerns about malnutrition, which the government says nearly half of all Indian children suffer from.Homily hint: When tragedy strikes an effort as noble as reducing hunger and malnutrition, and takes the lives of young children, sorrow is compounded many times over. This incredibly sad story, however, should not overshadow the ongoing need to feed malnourished and undernourished children, both in this country and abroad. Encourage the people in your community to help provide both nutritious and safe food for hungry children. Source: An article by Indrajit Singh for the Associated Press

india schoolchildren school lunches food safety
Some kids resist healthier school lunches

01 Sep 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

During a meal at the home of a leading Pharisee, Jesus advises those present on a new set of dining protocols not likely to win favor with the other attendees. After only one year,some schools around the country are dropping out of the healthier new federal lunch program, complaining that many students turned up their noses at government protocols that mandate meals packed with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.Federal officials say they don't have exact numbers but have seen isolated reports of schools cutting ties with the $11 billion National School Lunch Program, which reimburses schools for meals served and gives them access to lower-priced food.The new guidelines set limits on calories and salt, phase in more whole grains, and require that fruit and vegetables be served daily. Dr. Janey Thornton, deputy undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, which oversees the program, said she is aware of reports of districts quitting but is still optimistic about the program's long-term prospects."The vast majority of schools across the country are meeting the updated meal standards successfully, which is so important to help all our nation's children lead healthier lives," Thornton said. "Many of these children have never seen or tasted some of the fruits and vegetables that are being served before, and it takes a while to adapt and learn."Not every district can afford to quit. The program provides cash reimbursements for each meal served: about $2.50 to $3 for free and reduced-priced meals and about 30 cents for full-price meals. That takes the option of quitting off the table for schools with large numbers of poor youngsters.Homily hint: As educational leaders and other public officials work to encourage good nutritional habits, a home remedy to poor eating habits also exists—the family meal. Families that make eating together at least once a day a goal will reap nutritional as well as many other benefits. Opening the meal with a prayer links the meal to our spiritual heritage. Source: An article by Carolyn Thompson for the Associated Press

nutrition school lunches poor children national school lunch program janey thornton