Who would ever have thought we’d get to the point when United States senators feel the need to defend the potato against an attack from the federal government? The folks at the USDA think other vegetables are better for us, so they are limiting how many potatoes can be served to kids at school every week. Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to limit how many starchy potatoes American schoolchildren eat each week as part of the federal school lunch program, beginning next year.
A bipartisan group of senators from potato states such as Maine, Idaho and Colorado says the USDA proposal is half-baked, and lawmakers will try to block the rule Monday with an amendment to the 2012 agriculture spending bill.
“The much-maligned potato is actually a very affordable, nutritious vegetable,” says Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, leading the pro-potato forces in the Senate. “The issue is really in the preparation.”
Collins concedes she’s biased. Potatoes are Maine’s most important cash crop.
Potatoes are also relatively inexpensive. The USDA estimates that the new menu will cost schools about 14 cents more per meal — more than the 6 cents in subsidy they’ll get from the government. Total cost to the schools and federal taxpayers: $6.8 billion over five years. (Read More)
How ridiculous. How often do we hear about poor children going hungry? They’re driving up the cost of lunch and taking away a vegetable that happens to be quite filling. It’s insane.
Update: The Sundries Shack linked (and has recipes) – thanks!
Tags: potatoes, school lunches, USDA
[...] Thanks to the Lonely Conservative for bringing this new attempt to expand the Nanny State to my attention. You say potato? The USDA says “starchy vegetable.” [...]
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