by: Daniela Kunz

Lack of financial funds make things very complicated not only for school cafeterias, food decision makers of school districts, principals and ultimately also for parents – and big Food Inc. takes advantage of this and drives out of business small family farms – systematically so……..

I have ditched processed foods for more than 13 years now, concocted our own all organic diet with applying the WAPF principles for the past 5 years – and it has been very hard on our budget. Government is not providing close enough the funds that would be needed to bring about a change on how we feed the children.

Just yesterday the Obama Administration granted a booster increase of 1B US Dollars per year for America’s school lunches = which would yield .18 cents per lunchtray – less than half an apple would cost – that can’t keep the doctor away. With the meager and very unhealthy foods on the trays costing 2.68 and taken away expenses for personnel /faculty in the cafeteria – that means that merely 1 US Dollar is being for the food for our children in the schools.

Billions are being spent for wars….pennies on the buildup of our people, our children – our future!

I cook my youngest son’s lunches every day and bring them to his school. Lack of appropriate supervision in the cafeteria of his school and the fact that my son is on a special diet, with peers who all too often would give him from the unhealthy and tempting “other forbidden foods” – I had no choice but to monitor him during his lunch time. I am fortunate to be an at home stay mom who can do this – but how many others out there can’t? How many others do not even know the implications of processed food and what it can do to your health and especially so on the developmental progress of a growing child? Too many parents are just not aware – nor are Food Decision Makers and the so called “Dietitians” either – or they have no other choice but just go with that fare as there is no financial fund available for them all to bring the healthy food to the children. It is a vicious cycle. Have gone behind the scenes – and it is not as easy as it might look…. See More… See More I am a member of Chef Ann Cooper’s “http://www.facebook.com/l/915f7;www.lunchbox.org” and I am inspired by her works. Unfortunately also her work depends on the funds granted by the government as it is not for free either. Her programs DO work. She has brought change across American School Districts, one district at a time. She certainly can’t do it alone. We are trying to find a way to implement her programs also in Nashville and especially in my own School District, in the suburban area of Williamson County, which is not far from Nashville. Seems that for now I am alone in this. People seem paralyzed by this economic situation and just can’t seem to be willing to put out their energy also for this new project on the block……

It is very challenging and seems almost a mission impossible. I am and have been ready to fight for my son – can’t give up on him – and I am daily doing my part for him. I just can’t help but notice on what garbage his peers at the table are ingesting each and every day – and it makes me cringe. No wonder that our youngsters are plagued with so many illnesses. They are our most vulnerable link – and need to be protected – as they are our future one day, soon. They are at the hands of big Food Inc. and lack of funding.

The School Garden initiative would be a great project indeed to help educate children and through them their parents as well – but it will be very crucial to first assess the soil/land where the schools or anybody would want to plant and grow things that will end up on their plates. Most school properties were former landfills=cheap land or it was exposed to heavy pesticide use and other chemicals. It will be detrimental to our children’s health that people who plan these gardens will also do a thorough job in their homework and have soil testing done and also make sure that the water is not containing highly toxic substances such as fluoride (a highly poisonous residue from metal industry), arsenic, residue from pharmaceuticals in the waterways, chlorine, Bromium etc. etc.

This is a whole science, I know – but we have to protect our children – they are our future. We have to nourish them and build them up! “