USDA deems preschoolers lunch unhealthy, throws it away

I don't care what excuse they have for it being OK, it is NOT ok. If it was a huge problem like they weren't sending her a lunch, or only sending twinkies....then they should call the parents. But it was obvious the parents weren't starving their child, and it was a decent lunch for a 4 year old, they need to just stay out of it.

I think schools need to look at what they are serving before complaining about what parents send their children. You really think frozen chicken nuggets is as good nutritionally as a turkey and cheese sandwich? And considering schools count french fries as vegetables (if you don't believe me, watch Jamie Oliver Food Revolution), I would guess potato chips might as well be counted as a veggie too.

Having worked in a pre-school, I was pretty unimpressed with half (literally, if not more) the lunches sent in with 3 and 4 year olds.

Sugar, sugar, sugar, processed crap. THEN they wonder why their kids are hyper (they usually claim add or adhd).

It's dire. Diet is a huge issue in a lot of areas. Poverty often equals obesity. Processed food pretends to be cheap and most of the mothers I work with don't know how to cool, or even that it would work out cheaper in the long run.

Kids where I work are brought up on fast food, pasties and sweets.

Ok, not to be the voice of descent on everything but my sister has had some very messed up stuff happen concerning kids lunches coming from home so I can't say hardlined that it's none of anyone's business ever. A personal favorite (favorite is the wrong word but it certainly stands out) memory was a kid that would come to school - I kid you not - everyday with a bag of saurkraut because mom was convinced gluten free would cure her kid's autism - no idea why the pickled cabbage was all she could have. Poor kid looked/smelled horrible - was constantly scavenging for food or anything else she could consume - but literally per Mom's orders could only be given - saurkraut. Finally after multiple calls to CPS - Mom - and the lawyer the principal of the school decided that if and only if a doctor/nutritionist (which the school would pay for her to see) would sign off of this diet they'd continue with it at school. Mom's solution? Homeschooling. My sister was devastated and she felt like she had literally lost a student she'd be hearing about in the obits in the paper. Sure enough 4 months later this kid was taken from Mom after a neighbor had called 911 to report a starving child scavenging in her garbage can at 1am.

She's had other kids over the years where they'd come to school only with a 50 cent piece of candy like a bag of skittles, some with no lunch option at all where parents would not bother to even sign up for free lunch or breakfast, and there was a kid who came to school every day with a ketchup sandwich made with an english muffin and nothing else - the kid wouldn't eat it and usually they'd have to pull him out of the trash can. Try not to judge - but some parents don't exactly seem to give a crap. Happily they are the rare ones.

I've never understood, why schools get their noses in brought lunches when school lunches are HORRIBLE. I remember at my elementary school pizza or foot long hot dogs were a regular. Not very healthy. Or pp&j was always an option.

I remember being told off by a teacher, because I always had cereal with yogurt for lunch. My mom & I always had cereal and yogurt at home for lunch... I just wasn't huge on sandwiches. ^^

But...remember that mom signed up for this program on her own accord. I'm sure she had to sign a zillion papers acknowledging all the facets of the program. It's not just regular public school. It's a program with more applicants than slots, so if she doesn't want this stuff, there are other people who do.

Yeah, my mom teaches kindergarten. It's disgusting what they bring for snack/lunch. It's a title 1 school (i.e. impoverished), and the majority of parents stop at 7-11 on the way to school and pick up skittles for snack and a bag of cheetos for lunch. Or they drop the kid off with nothing--which in my opinion is better than skittles and cheetos (because at least then they'll eat the school lunch!)

I don't know what they're like where everyone else is, but here the school lunches are actually pretty darn well balanced. Even at middle school, they regularly have grilled chicken on salad, stir fry, different kinds of fruit, etc. Of course, they still have pizza once in a while, but they supplement it with a lot of stuff.

My personal favorite at my school cafeteria was french fries and gravy lol. It was so good but definitely not the healthiest option I could have chosen. But I loved it and had it almost everyday lol. We also had THE BEST chocolate chip cookies... I actually still have dreams that I am eating one of those cookies. First thing in the morning they were still warm.

Oh man... I'm obviously hungry right now lol

I send Hannah to school usually with A cream cheese and strawberry jam sandwich (no peanut butter allowed because of the risk of allergic reaction in other kids and she won't eat meat on sandwiches), a granola bar and then usually a fruit cup or yogurt or something and usually at least one of those items comes back to me at the end of the day because she doesn't usually need that much food in one sitting and some days she just doesn't want fruit. The healthiest lunch? no probably not but there isn't anything WRONG with it. it's not insufficient.

In the case of children who are starving that's one thing but I just find it a tremendous waste of food, money and resources to expect preschool aged children to eat a serving of meat, fruit, two veggies and milk at one sitting. there is no WAY Hannah could ever eat that much in one sitting. hannah usually is good for one BIG meal a day. some days that is lunch and some days that is dinner. if she has a big meal for lunch she won't eat much for dinner. she'll just eat small meals/snacks throughout the rest of the day. she has a tiny belly... how much can it hold all at once.

I do remember one time though I made my lunch for school (I always made my own lunch once I was old enough... around 7 or 8) and I made myself a chocolate chip cookie sandwich lol. two slices of buttered bread and a giant chocolate chip cookie in between the bread (you know... it was actually really good LOL). If I brought that to school today my mom would be up on charges or something lol but really what was the big deal? I obviously wasn't being starved (like I said in the case of starvation that's different) I just felt like having a chocolate chip cookie sandwich one day lol.

I think schools need to sometimes know when to pick their battles. child being starved or malnurished? Yes... big problem. A child with a sandwich and a twinkie for a snack... NOT a big problem. it just seems along the lines of the kindergartener that was pulled out of class for sexual assault because they gave their friend a hug.

Do elementary schools have cafeterias here? I know our school didn't. we had a little concession stand where they sold cookies and drinks and chips and stuff but that was about it and they also had pizza when it was Pizza Day but other than that if you wanted lunch you had to bring it from home. It wasn't until highschool that we had a cafeteria. And I had a job in highschool so even though my dad bought all kinds of stuff for my lunches I usually just used my own money to buy french fries and gravy (and the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet lol)

I will say there was one time that I forgot my lunch on the counter at home and they called my mom to have her bring it to me or give permission for me to leave school property to get lunch (small town lol). So they didn't ignore it if you didn't have a lunch at all but other than that they pretty much left it alone.

It really is a hard line to draw IMO. The original not true story crossed it for me, but others are much more open. While I am all for the parent's rights, I aslo realize there are a lot of really messed up parents out there. Sometimes, tragically, school is the only place they can get a decent (comparatively) meal, the only place an adult can actually check on them and catch possible abuse, neglect, etc.

Does it sometimes go too far? Oh heck yeah! But honestly, most cases it seems when it does go too far are individuals overstepping and are corrected. I know its a huge pain for the parents and people involved.....but at the same time, how many kids does it really truly save? I think in many cases the headache may be worth it.

Then again, I am homeschooling so lol. Seriously though, when you send your children to another group of adults for huge chunks of time, there is going to be some crossover of control you know?

A STARVING child who comes EVERY day with NO lunch, is completely different than a child who brings a sandwich, a banana, and a bag of potato chips. They do not even compare.

#1, which is what I wasn't going to go into, because I know everyone here disagrees, but kids do not NEED preschool, and with our country $15 trillion in debt, a subsidized preschool program is not NECESSARY, and IMO shouldn't exist.
#2, the government has NO IDEA how to set REASONABLE requirements for anything! Expecting kids to have to have a meat, grain, dairy, 2 veggies/fruit for a freaking FOUR year old is ridiculous. I would like to see what their kids are eating at home. Think they are eating all that everyday at lunch? I think not. Do they even have kids? Are those parents even at home to KNOW what their kids are ACTUALLY eating (not being provided by the other person that is RAISING their children for them)?

These people want to say that someone with a degree in child education knows better than parents?!?! They don't even know what it is like to HAVE a child. I have an extremely picky eater. They would rather MY child starve than me provide something he might actually eat? Just another reason I will be keeping my child at home.