5,000 salad bars?

Wasting money and food, and most likely creating a health hazard in the process,
White House to put up to 5,000 salad bars in schools

First Lady Michelle Obama is expected to announce on Monday a major new initiative that would place up to 5,000 salad bars in public schools nationwide, despite uncertainties over how local health inspectors might treat those salad bars and USDA nutrition-tracking rules that could prove a major impediment.

I can see it now, a salad bar where kids are picking the few things they’d like (like Jello) with their unwashed hands. You think it grade school kids won’t? Think again – I’ve seen it at a college. I’m not alone:

Cooper named three school districts she knows of — Philadelphia, Austin, Tex., and Montgomery County, Md., — that have already indicated they will not support salad bars. Concerns have been raised that elementary school children in particular might be prone to spread disease at salad bars because they are too short for the standard “sneeze guard” installed on most salad bars, or because they might use their hands instead of the serving utensils provided.

Yech.

The “healthy” items like lettuce and raw vegetables will go wasted. And don’t forget about the endless temptation for food fights.

This is what happens when you have put people in power who have absolutely no real-world experience in food service, or in dealing with young children. Anyone who’s ever catered (even modestly) a party for kids KNOWS a salad bar is not a good idea.

Interesting paragraph at the end of the article (emphasis added),

Michelle Obama has embraced more fruit and vegetable consumption as a major plank in her efforts to improve American diets and combat weight-related illnesses, especially among children. Kass, who directs the First Lady’s nutrition efforts, was seen as central to bringing the various salad-bar interests together and developing a unified effort under the White House banner.

“Salad-bar interests”? MOTUS:

I’m not sure who all those “various salad-bar interests” are. Aside from the food service contractors who enjoy HUGE contracts with the federal government to supply food for school lunches. Their fat contracts will now be embiggened by the addition of tons of fresh fruits and vegetables. And the SEIU of course.

Do you have any idea how many more food service workers it takes to chop up all those green peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and radishes that the kids won’t eat? And then clean up the mess at the end of the lunch hour and throw away all the uneaten fruit and veggies?

And do you know how much it will cost government-paid food contractors to buy all that produce from certified SEIU-friendly fresh food distributors? Who will buy the produce from other certified SEIU-friendly fresh food handlers and processors? Who will get all that produce from comprehensive-immigration reform friendly “organic” farmers?

The answer is: $4.5 billion. For starters. Think of it as part of our economic stimulus plan. That’s why we need more money. It’s for the children. And their fat behinds.

This is one food idea that deserves a pie in the face:

And,, yes,
I stopped eating at salad bars because they are unsanitary.