Position Statement: The HHFKA must be repealed to free the cafeteria of federal regulations and allow us to raise money without hindrance.

When Rep. Michele Bachmann said that “we choose liberty, or we choose tyranny,” she was referring to environmental policy. However, her logic applies in the school cafeteria just as much. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA), passed in 2010, is a federal law that sets guidelines for school food nutrition. Initially conceived to fight childhood obesity, this law has erred greatly from its noble intentions to become a stranglehold on school fundraising and student liberty.

The HHFKA in effect required the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set new, healthier guidelines for all food provided in school cafeterias, vending machines or sold in any manner. If a food item is sold outside of school and is not consumed on school property, it is exempt from the requirements. This is how groups at LT are able to sell cookie dough. Transactions and consumption occurs off of school property. While “unhealthy” products are demonized in school, they are completely taken advantage of outside. This absurd inconsistency is why the law must change immediately.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, foods designated as snacks must contain 200 or fewer calories, 200 mg or less sodium and a maximum of 35-percent fat or sugar. Foods designated as entrées follow the same guidelines, but may contain up to 350 calories and a maximum of 480 mg.

There are plenty of notorious examples of flagrant unhealthiness qualifying as a “smart snack” under these standards but the most prominent is the Strawberry Pop-Tart. It meets all of the new “healthy” requirements, but contains approximately 32-percent of the World Health Organization’s recommended daily intake of sugar per serving. One serving is one pastry, and so you actually consume 64-percent of your daily sugar if you eat both Pop-Tarts in a package. Among other loopholes, students can simply sidestep calorie limits by purchasing multiple items.

Students can also bring whatever food from home they desire without limitation, and so the assertion that the HHFKA actually improves student health is an utter lie. With so many opportunities to defy the regulations, they are sorely ineffective.

Furthermore, the HHFKA has stagnated school fundraising. Because of regulations, once traditional donut or caramel apple sales are banned. The French club no longer sells Bon Bons, and all food items sold must be approved prior to ensure they meet the USDA standards. Food like fruit snacks are the pitiful new go-to for clubs because unfortunately, the demand for a celery fundraiser is nonexistent. LT clubs have had to resort mostly to selling gold and blue cards for revenue when other food items would have much higher yields.

The selection of food products that meet the standards is also highly restrictive. The variety is very low, and the flexibility schools need to raise critical funds for extracurricular groups is nonexistent. This has led LT organizations to pass more of the cost burden to their members and their families. Simply put, you must comply with the nutritional standards or suffer financially.

At the core of this issue is liberty. We do not want to be told by politicians what we can buy at our school cafeteria because quite frankly, they don’t know what we want to eat. We are mature individuals, and legislating our meals is a statement of mistrust. We should be responsible for the foods we consume, and babying us with superficial rules is utterly insulting. The HHFKA must be repealed to free the cafeteria of federal regulations and allow us to raise money without hindrance.

Staff Count: 15-12