USDA: Continuing to serve pizza to schoolchildren won’t save much money

[alp227]

Source: Wash. Post

The legislative push to enable school cafeterias to keep serving pizza and french fries won’t save nearly as much money as some lawmakers have suggested — if any, according to the Agriculture Department.

This week, a group of House and Senate lawmakers crafted an agriculture spending bill that barred the USDA from adopting the Obama administration’s proposal to limit the amount of tomato paste and starchy vegetables in federally funded school meals.

That proposal’s price tag — including the financial burden it would impose on strapped school districts — ranked as one of the top reasons for derailing it.

But on Wednesday, USDA officials said that scrapping the plan to limit tomato paste and starchy vegetables such as potatoes would not reap huge cost savings, and certainly not $7 billion as suggested by the GOP-controlled House Appropriations Committee.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/usda-continuing-to-serve-pizza-to-schoolchildren-wont-save-much-money/2011/11/16/gIQAeGPTSN_story.html

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Maybe Herman Cain could pitch in for the pizza costs.

[WillParkinson]

1. Frankly I don't care if it saves $7 billion dollars...

This is the health of our children they're playing with. Is it REALLY worth it when you're giving tax breaks to the wealthy, kowtowing to special interest groups, and raping the environment? Hey, they're only kids. They don't need to eat good, wholesome or nutritious foods.

After all, this is the same bunch who wanted ketchup labeled a vegetable when Mr. Reagan was president.

[SoapBox]

2. K & R

[SaveAmerica]

3. You'll have hope for our future - my daughter is disgusted they don't realize better nutrition now

will save us later in health costs for those same children.

[WillParkinson]

4. They realize it...

They also realize that it will cut into insurance profits in the future. Sorry, the child's future is secondary to the insurance company, you know.

[peacebird]

5. wow... And what is saddest is I think you could be right.

[yardwork]

6. Look, the Congress critters gotta get reelected. They gotta get those industry donations.

How is a Congress critter supposed to get reelected if he's not allowed to give lucrative contracts to agribusiness? Be reasonable.