Parents Protest City's Ban on Bake Sales

[The Straight Story]

Parents Protest City's Ban on Bake Sales

MANHATTAN — Parents and students held a protest outside City Hall Thursday against the Department of Education's new rule that bans the sale of homemade food during school fundraisers.

The protesters say the city's move encourages students to eat vending machine junk food, and some of the protesters held signs that read such slogans as "Read our lips! No more chips!"

The DOE wants to fight childhood obesity by keeping track of the nutritional value of foods children eat in school. They say it's much easier to track commercial goods than homemade cakes and cookies, and the rule effectively bans bake sales.

The DOE says it will now only permit certain pre-approved packaged items to be sold in school vending machines.

“I am a proud home baker and I think it is ridiculous that the Department of Education is telling us it's better for our kids to eat packaged, processed foods (rather) than homemade goods," said one angry mother, Caroline Press, in an interview with NY1.

But school officials say the move is part of a broader effort to stop burgeoning childhood obesity rates. Nearly 40 percent of the city’s elementary and middle school students are overweight or obese, according to the DOE. And a survey released in July found a correlation between students’ nutrition and their performance on standardized tests.


http://www.dnainfo.com/20100319/manhattan/parents-protest-citys-ban-on-bake-sales

[aquart]

1. Because it is the stupidest decision outside of Texas I've ever heard.

[tonysam]

3. Busybodies need to stay out of people's mouths and their refrigerators. n/t

[LiberalFighter]

2. Do they really eat the stuff at school? I would think most if not all of bake sales

would be taken home to eat later.

[The Straight Story]

4. When I was kid there were plenty of parents who baked things for us at school

Birthdays, Valentine's day, etc.

Sad how far we have fallen with shit like this.

[EFerrari]

5. Me, too. By the time my kids were in school, it was pre-packaged or nada.

So, my kids never met any of the parents in the neighborhood via their baked stuff. It is sad.