Generals order up better school meals

As kids head back to school, healthier lunches will be on the menu for most of them under federal guidelines that call for more fruit, vegetables and whole grains and less fat, sugar and salt.

The changes date back to 2010 when Congress passed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, a bill meant to ensure more healthful meals and restrict junk food at schools that get money through the National School Lunch Program.

But a food fight continues in Washington over the rules strongly supported by First Lady Michelle Obama as part of her mission to reduce obesity in kids through better foods and more exercise.

Some members of Congress have complained about the new rules and various groups are seeking exemptions, claiming the rules are too costly or that children don't like the more healthful meals.

But the military has come to the rescue, according to Politico, which reports that "Mission: Readiness," a group of nearly 500 former military leaders including generals and admirals, is joining the fight for healthier school meals.

Citing the rise in obesity among America's youth as a national security threat, the group reports that 75 percent of young adults are not eligible to serve in the military because of obesity, lack of education or criminal records.

Mission: Readiness, which sounded the alarm in its 2012 report "Too Fat to Fight," says obesity and lack of physical fitness among kids are among its greatest concerns. Members plan to "storm the hill" in Washington next month when Congress returns from vacation to urge members not to back down.

"We're not going to retreat our way out of the problem," Lt. General Norman Seip told Politico.

The group already has targeted Kentucky's U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, a Somerset Republican and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, sending four retired generals to Washington last month to seek his support. The group reported that Mr. Rogers, from a state with one of the nation's highest rates of obesity, appeared to understand their concerns.

If schools are having trouble introducing the new meals to kids used to fries, pizza and soda, the government should offer more support, not water down the rules, according to Mission: Readiness.

Some school districts that can afford to forgo federal dollars to feed their students are opting out of the school lunch program. That unfortunately includes Northern Kentucky's Fort Thomas Independent Schools, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported last week.

The reason? Too many kids say "I'm not going to eat that," said Fort Thomas Superintendent Gene Kirchner.

Fort Thomas and districts contemplating surrender need to heed Maj. Gen. D. Allen Youngman, a Mission: Readiness member:

"We cannot have a sound battle plan for the war on obesity if our kids are chowing down on unhealthy foods in the places where they spend so much of their time."

Sir, yes, sir!