Feds Don’t Belong at the Bake Sale
A new law will regulate school fundraisers, but good nutrition really begins at home.
A tray of cupcakes at an elementary school should be the last thing worrying members of this Congress.
And yet, there it is, one of many targets in a bill headed toward law. The House and Senate have both approved the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, and it is all but certain that President Barack Obama will sign it, given that the bill’s champion is none other than his wife.
To be fair, it would’ve been difficult to oppose a bill on the grounds of government overreach when it bears a name that aspires to provide a table of plenty for the nation’s children.
It will expand free and reduced meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner – for lower-income students and raise nutrition standards for all food served in schools, including in vending machines. All in the name of good health. And good policy.
But, sadly, this bill goes further, regulating the frequency with which schools from coast to coast can hold bake sales or sell pizza, doughnuts, cookies or other sweet fare through fundraisers.
No one disputes that such foods lack nutritional value. They are full of processed ingredients, sugar and fat. If people eat nothing else, they’ll get fat and be at higher risk for heart disease and cancer.
The question, though, is whether Congress should focus time and resources to micromanage an activity that ought to be left to parents, teachers, school administrators, school boards – or even state legislatures.
Childhood obesity is a real and significant problem in America, but cupcakes and candy bars sold through school fundraisers can’t seriously be considered primary contributors to the epidemic.
Maintaining a healthy weight starts with good habits at home. And nothing the federal government does will change that.
To fight childhood obesity, parents must instill proper nutrition in their children, encourage physical activity and lead by example. Eat smaller, healthy portions. Go for a walk. Ride a bike. Play catch. Play tag. Play sports. Just play.
Get out of the house.
And don’t blow your money on gobs of junk food.
For the majority of Americans, those tips shouldn’t be any harder than they sound. And they shouldn’t require an act of Congress.
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