"michelle obama" news and stories

Congress has made First Lady Michelle Obama one happy woman, and likely even made Jamie Oliver cry a little, in a good way. After a unanimous vote in the Senate back in August, then a delay in the House, the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act finally reached the President's desk by a House vote of 264-157, yesterday afternoon.

This is huge. As previously noted, the bill's extended budget of $4.5 billion will account for the first raise in funding for school lunches in 30 years, which amounts to an additional 6 cents per meal. So schools can maybe spring for greens and "real" chicken rather than the stand-by frozen pizzas and processed nuggets. The bill will also fund nutritional education programs, expand the number of low-income students accepted into the school lunch program, and rid school cafeterias and vending machines of junk food (think new-age carrots).

Sorry Sarah Palin, but you lose. Apple-a-day for the win.

Sarah Palin is going head-to-head with Michele Obama's efforts to get healthier meals into America's public schools, reports Bloomberg Business Week. The would-be president's latest challenge to the President's wife came as a protest to Pennsylvania Board of Education guidelines that would limit holiday and birthday celebrations -- and thus cake, cookies and candy -- at school. Last week, reported ABC News, Palin showed up at a Bucks Country fundraiser bearing 200 cookies to protest "nanny state" regulations she said were best left to parents.

Next year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will issue a new version of its controversial food pyramid, which will surely influence what will be served in school cafeterias down the line. Will sugar-coated Sarah and her Tea Party pals swallow any of this? Fat chance. Just look at what happened in Britain a few years ago when a school district banned hamburgers, fries and other fast-food favorites from the lunchroom, while at the same time not letting children who weren't going directly home for lunch leave the grounds. The New York Times reported that mothers, who acquired the nickname "meat-pie mums," began sneaking the forbidden food to their kids over schoolyard fences.

Who's right? Take our poll.

The post-election red-state, blue-state congressional brouhaha is just beginning, but at the moment, the White House is mostly green, as in the First Lady's thumb. More than a ton of vegetables were harvested from the White House Kitchen Garden, for the second year in a row, reports the blog Obamafoodarama. And this year, 55 different types of food were grown. This for only $200 worth of seeds. Michelle Obama is a mighty gardener, but she wasn't out there weeding alone (or keeping the bees that produced more than 100 pounds of honey). In addition to a garden staff, there were plenty of schoolkids that helped to dig in the dirt. And who's eating the bounty? The First Family, of course. But much of the harvest was donated to Miriam's Kitchen, which provides food for the homeless. And that is a seed well sown.

This fall, a tour of the White House is, once again, going to get a little earthy, according to Obama Foodarama. First Lady Michelle Obama's 1,500-foot Kitchen Garden was such a hit as part of the spring Grounds and Gardens Tour that fall's rapini, sweet potatoes, and other crops are being featured in this season's walkabout, to be held October 16 and 17. (Does it trump the Rose Garden? You decide.) Tickets are free, and being distributed now by the National Parks Service, but reservations are required.

The battle against unhealthy school lunches gained a powerful ally yesterday. First Lady Michelle Obama, already known for her commitment to healthy, organic eating, penned an op-ed in the Washington Post supporting the Child Nutrition Bill working its way through Congress. The $4.5 billion initiative aims to improve the quality of the lunches for kids across the country, and ties neatly into her "Let's Move!" campaign to reduce childhood obesity.

In the editorial, Obama calls the bill "groundbreaking," and says it's necessary to bring healthy habits into schools. "Right now," she writes, "our country has a major opportunity to make our schools and our children healthier. It's an opportunity we haven't seen in years, and one that is too important to let pass by." Taking a stand on the bill isn't exactly surprising, since the high-fat, high-sugar options available to many school kids are the antithesis of the produce-filled diet she advocates.

The bill will increase eligibility for the National School Lunch Program in addition to requiring more fruits, vegetables and whole grains while reducing fat and salt. And it's not just what's on those trays in the lunchroom – the bill would also eliminate junk food from vending machines and a la carte lines.