Parents Protest Bake Sale Fascism

Parents are planning a city hall “bake-in” in protest of new regulations that ban homemade treats from their kids' school bake sales. The city's rationale is that brownies and cookies made from scratch carry an uncountable calorie load, whereas Doritos, packaged cookies and other food items on a list of permissible items, disclose their nutritional content. "We don't really want to be told what to buy, especially when it's junk food from Kellogg's," one mom told the Daily News.

The city limits parents to bagged treats that adhere to rules about sodium and fat content, and contain less than 200 calories. Pop tarts are on its list; so are Linden's cookies. According to protest organizer Elizabeth Puccini the new regulations cause an ethical dilemma, since art and music programs rely on bake sale revenue. "If we want to raise money—which we have to, given the budget cuts—we're forced to buy the kids junk food," said protest organizer Elizabeth Puccini. "There's something wrong with this picture."

The bake-in is scheduled of March 18. No word on what treats will be provided. Other attempts to limit student calorie intake have included a proposal for "Meatless Mondays" and regulations slapped on school vending machines.

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By Sabrina Jaszi in News on March 9, 2010 2:22 PM

Comments [rss]

Pachinko

Bake sales were common 30, 40, 50 years ago, and the majority of children were not fat as they are today. Moms stayed home and cooked meals with natural ingredients (including butter and sugar), instead of today's kids eating quick processed foods with loads of sodium, trans fat, and artificial sweeteners. Way back when, you had to drive a distance for fast food. Now, there's a junk food joint on every street corner. The gov should regulate how many of these fast food restaurants can take up one city block.

JayPee

I think the parents should be worrying about bigger problems...like why some NYC public schools are being shut down...

http://www.politics3.com/ViewArticleGallery.aspx?AID=377

wobbleSmith

i disagree. i don't think anyone should be worrying about anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHxZHp1g0ns

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

List of food items that can be sold in these sales

http://www.opt-osfns.org/osfns/nutrition/NutritionalGuidelines.pdf

blackwhole

This qualifies as a bake sale how? Why not just funnel the school's cut from the (existing) vending machines to the programs that need it? That'd save everyone some headaches, and keep the Keebler elves happy.

Greenpoint60

the mgt of duh schools may fear that a kid with an allergy might die, lets say the cookies had ground peanuts and the baker sold them saying they did not

rasputinsghost

that's a pretty good point

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

baked goods aren't the only items that raises funds. they can sell other goods. geez.

ANGRYGOD11

Crack is non-fattening.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

weed also is non-fattening. seriously, they can makes lots of money selling fruit salads. Whole foods makes a bundle selling a cups of fruit salads at exorbitant prices. They can sell peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as well.

youngpro

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/09/china.animals/index.html?hpt=C2

Thespis

If I understand correctly, they actually can only sell one of two things, foodwise:

1. Fresh fruit or vegetables, or

2. One of 27 pre-packaged items on a list put out by the city.

So no peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and maybe no fruit salad. (I'm not sure if that counts as fresh fruit -- maybe depends on how it's prepared.)

Of course, they could also sell non-food items: cheap jewelry, unneeded wrapping paper, plastic trinkets, coupon books, etc. But I believe experience has shown that the only thing people actually WANT to buy from these types of sales is food -- preferably homemade food. (Certainly no one wanted to buy those stupid "coupon books" when I was in school.)

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

yep, food is what they will buy. maybe just square bits of fresh fruits put them in a cup and sell for $2. Why not provide them with the nutritional/ingredient restrictions instead of compiling a list of 2 pre-packaged items? Seems like it excludes a lot of healthy snacks such as mixed nuts, dried fruits, etc .. .

snickerdoodle

Let them eat cake!

dugpol

MMmmm I'm there!

RevWaldo

Hell yeah, with a bundle of ones and a shopping bag! (and maybe a luggage cart...)

Mordicai

Yep, facism. Pre-emptively playing a Godwin, eh?

40oz.killa

Wth they're just brownies and cookies holy shit. Aren't there bigger things the parents should be worried about for their kids? Such as house fires, drugs, rabbi's, catholic priests?

Politburo

Brownies and cookies made from scratch do not necessarily carry an uncountable calorie load. The King Arthur Flour Cookbook lists nutrition info for every recipe, as do many other cookbooks. Box recipes must list nutrition info "as prepared", so they are covered as well.

Even without that, it's really not too difficult to calculate, though I agree it's ridiculous this is an issue to begin with.

Cannibal

the school system is all kinds of retarded

Trilby16

One thing we know about home-baked goods-- they are less likely than commercial goodies to contain transfats, HFCS, and preservatives. That right there's a good thing.

I had a friend years ago who was always baking for her family, brownies, pound cake, you name it. And none of them were at all fat. When I asked how that could be, she told me that the items you bake at home do not make you fat. She was ahead of her time.

Politburo

Home baked goods from scratch are better, but please don't try and tell us that eating something with a half pound of of butter, half pound of sugar, and 5 eggs won't make you fat.

Trilby16

I don't want to get into a whole thing, but there is evidence that, for instance, when you eat food with real sugar in it, as opposed to HFCS, your body knows that it's had a treat and is satisfied, whereas HFCS is not recognized and does not "fill you up" in the same way.

So yes, eating real stuff is probably less damaging overall than eating crap. You will want to watch your portions but that is easier because real stuff is more satisfying.

But believe whatever you want. I'm just saying.

ab_bklyn

Yup, you're correct. HFCS is metabolized directly as fat in your body, AND it doesn't activate the same "full" feeling as eating glucose-based sugars. See this article in the HuffPo for more facts.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/sugar-may-be-bad-but-this_b_463655.html