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via: la vida locavore


The Food Lobby Goes to School

Who decides what our children are eating?
To a large degree, it is the Federal Government. Congress and the Department of Agriculture approve what foods can (and can't) be served to over 30 million American school children who get daily meals from the National School Lunch Program.

The government gets a ton of pressure from a food and beverage industry frantic to keep kids hooked on a diet of sodas, snacks and hot dogs. The competition, for a piece of this $10 billion market, is particularly fierce right now because this year, the School Lunch Program is being reviewed and revised.

Despite the enormous nutritional and financial stakes at play, ANP was the only media to cover a recent panel set up to discuss the school menu. While nutritionists outnumbered the press, corporate lobbyists outnumbered everyone.

Coincidentally, this article was released in the New York Times today:


No lunch Left behind

THIS new era of government bailouts and widespread concern over wasteful spending offers an opportunity to take a hard look at the National School Lunch Program. Launched in 1946 as a public safety net, it has turned out to be a poor investment. It should be redesigned to make our children healthier.

Under the program, the United States Department of Agriculture gives public schools cash for every meal they serve — $2.57 for a free lunch, $2.17 for a reduced-price lunch and 24 cents for a paid lunch. In 2007, the program cost around $9 billion, a figure widely acknowledged as inadequate to cover food costs. But what most people don’t realize is that very little of this money even goes toward food. Schools have to use it to pay for everything from custodial services to heating in the cafeteria.

On top of these reimbursements, schools are entitled to receive commodity foods that are valued at a little over 20 cents per meal. The long list of options includes high-fat, low-grade meats and cheeses and processed foods like chicken nuggets and pizza. Many of the items selected are ready to be thawed, heated or just unwrapped — a necessity for schools without kitchens. Schools also get periodic, additional “bonus” commodities from the U.S.D.A., which pays good money for what are essentially leftovers from big American food producers. MORE

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Kingston and Coal Lobby's Grip on the EPA

In March of 2000, during the last days of the Clinton administration, the EPA decided coal ash was a hazardous waste. Then, two months later, it flipped. If the EPA had stuck to its guns, the Kingston Coal Ash disaster in Tennessee might have been averted. Now, momentum is building to federally regulate coal ash. Will the EPA make the same mistake twice?

ANP INVESTIGATION: The Revolving Door of K Street

Capitol Hill lost yet another Congressman to K Street recently, as one more elected official rolled down the hill to join a lobbying firm. Through the story of the latest defector, the American News Project examines this burgeoning trend, known in DC as the "revolving door."

HUD's Affordable Housing Crisis

As the Obama Administration plans to implement their recently signed $787 billion rescue plan, one of the areas they will immediately be forced to confront is the ongoing housing crisis. The stimulus gives the Department of Housing and Urban Development $13.6 billion to address the needs of low-income families across the country. Experts say it's a good start, but new HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan is facing an enormous task, as he attempts to overhaul an agency that is facing years of neglect and mounting debt.

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US students fight for education rights -17 Feb 09

The challenges facing the US public education system are enormous.

Despite attempts over the years to give all young Americans access to a decent education regardless of race or social class, the gap between educational haves and have-nots remains wide.

Al Jazeera's Nick Spicer reports.

Music of Resistance - Tinariwen - 10 Feb 09 - Part 1

The nomadic Touareg tribes have endured years of drought and civil war. The one constant through this hardship has been the music of Tinariwen.

Once a group of rebel soldiers, training alongside Colonel Gadaffi in Libya, after years of struggle and violence Tinariwen decided to lay down their guns and fight with a different weapon - music.

Music of Resistance - Tinariwen - 10 Feb 09 - Part 2

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Music of Resistance - Race to fight racism - 2 Feb 09-Part 1

For almost 15 years, Asian Dub Foundation has delivered uncompromising messages of social change - looking at prejudice against Britons of Asian descent. The first episode of Music of Resistance - a six-part series which tells the stories of musicians who fight repression and sing about injustices - looks at Asian Dub Foundation's efforts to steer talented, inner-city youngsters away from gangs and violence and toward music.

Music of Resistance - Race to fight racism - 2 Feb 09-Part 2

Music of Resistance - Seun Kuti - 18 Feb 09 - Part 1

Fela Kuti is one of the most significant musicians to ever come out of Sub-Sharan Africa.

Through his music he confronted government corruption, multi-national corporations, and police brutality in Nigeria.

Only 14 when his father died, his son Seun has decided to carry on his legacy. Music of Resistance went to meet him.

Music of Resistance - Seun Kuti - 18 Feb 09 - Part 2

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Queen Latifah looks fucking GORGEOUS!!!