Title: Statement by the President Upon Signing the National School Lunch Act | Encyclopedia.com
Headings: Statement by the President Upon Signing the National School Lunch Act
Statement by the President Upon Signing the National School Lunch Act
Statement by the President Upon Signing the National School Lunch Act
Speech
INTRODUCTION
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Content: Another controversy that has embroiled the NSLP is the introduction of irradiated beef in school lunches. Irradiated beef, according to researchers, in addition to having low nutritional value, exposes children to radiation. Despite extensive protests from parents and school authorities, the USDA introduced irradiated beef in 2003—allegedly due to mounting pressure from the food irradiation industry. In the past few years, while the flaws in NSLP have been highlighted by critics, the Bush administration has not, according to reports, taken strong enough steps on the health front. In the 1980s, the Reagan administration was blasted for declaring ketchup a vegetable for NSLP. In the 1990s, the USDA announced that salsa (another low-nutrition food item) was an acceptable part of the school menu. In 1998, Michele Simon, a public-health lawyer and director of the Center for Informed Food Choices (CIFC), pointed out in an article published in The Animal's Agenda that the schools have become a dumping ground for high-fat and high-cholesterol meat and dairy products to salvage industry profits. The program has digressed from its goal of promoting good nutrition to children and opening more business opportunities for farmers. In fact, according to a 1993 survey, the USDA itself found the nutritional quality of most school lunches mediocre. Moreover, the USDA reimburses schools only for the cost of food.