Posted on 07/24/2013 6:12:45 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
First, Michelle Obama called for healthier school lunches -- and kids complained that the first lady's menus left them hungry. Now, the United States Department of Agriculture has green-lighted a pilot program to serve trendy Greek yogurt in school cafeterias in New York, Idaho, Arizona, and Tennessee. If all goes well this fall, Greek yogurt may became a staple in Washington's $11 billion school lunch program in some 100,000 schools.
In one sense, it's an example of America's growing European Union-style nanny state -- not to mention crony capitalism and insider influence. Two of the biggest cheerleaders of Greek yogurt are New York's Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand; and there also are Greek yogurt's powerful Washington lobbyists, including two former high-ranking USDA officials. They were hired by Greek yogurt maker Chobani which was founded in upstate New York by Hamdi Ulukaya -- a Turkish immigrant with business and yogurt-making savvy (he's now a billionaire) who knows how to pull the levers of power to become even richer. Interestingly, Greek yogurt -- perhaps with a wink from the first lady -- got on the USDA's fast track (eight months from start to finish) rather than plodding through an approval process that, according to Washington insiders, can take years for the school lunch program.
"This is unusual, it happened very fast," Jerry Hagstrom, a veteran Washington journalist and expert on the USDA, told the New York Daily News, which recently revealed eyebrow-raising details of the push to get Greek yogurt in the nation's schools, including through Sen. Schumer's high-pressure lobbying at the USDA.
"I remember only one thing vaguely similar, involving serving bison meat on Indian reservations," Hagstrom said.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Who has the contract and what did it ‘cost’ them?
Nanny State PING!
I do not get the hysteria about Greek yogurt.
All it is: yogurt with less whey.
Why must Taxpayers be fleeced to do a parent's job (i.e., feed their own kids)?
There are so many ways that we pay for "Holder's People", just so we don't call it "Reparations", or we're branded as Racist.
I eat Greek yogurt every day. More protein and less sugar than regular yogurt.
Not sure what’s nanny state about this really- we feed kids lunch at school, right?
I would like to know what it will cost us...
Ma’am, what I am about to say most asssuredly does not pertain to you, but Greek yogurt has a warning on the side label advising that extended consumption may cause bubbles in the head
That explains so much..
I like greek yogurt, but the state shouldn’t force it on ANYONE...
It will probably be some sugar laced version that is over whipped up and tastes like puke....
Instead of the superior store / generic greek yogurt which is better!!!
So it’s the official food of the DNC then?
I can’t stand the greek style. love yogurt ,just not that .
Yeah I don’t get the nanny thing in this situation either.
I have been eating either a bologna or peanut butter sandwhich for lunch since first grade in 1955.
I love Greek yogurt. To cut the sugar further, I buy the plain, add artificial sweetener. vanilla, fresh fruit, and chopped nuts. Great breakfast!
Yepp...look at Greece economy.:-)
Actually raising kids to eat some strained yoghurt (Greek yoghurt), is not a bad idea, if it is live culture. This is because there are an increasing number of antibiotic resistant bacteria strains out there, and the best way to protect yourself is to have a healthy intestinal flora.
Even better than Greek yoghurt is “Kefir”, which has a whole bunch of different digestive bacteria strains in it. It tastes like a yoghurt smoothy, and is often fruit flavored and sweeter tasting, though it is low fat.
To make it even better, combining it with a “prebiotic”, that contains ‘oligofructose inulin’ (also called fructo-oligosaccharide). It is a water soluble fiber you don’t digest, that the bacteria can feed on deep in the colon to establish a strong colony.
Banana has about 1 gram of inulin to 100 grams, but sweet tasting and crunchy jicama root has about 6 grams in a cup of slices. It is a good snack, as it is low calorie, and about its only flavor is a mild sweetness.
It’s a good idea, if it’s a choice. In some schools I’ve encountered, salads are a choice, and quite a few students get them.
I avoid anything with “Greek” in the label
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