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Michelle Obama and FDA Announce Major Food Labeling Changes

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First lady Michelle Obama joined with the Food and Drug Administration in announcing the first major change to food labeling requirements in over 20 years on Friday.

The significant changes include increasing the print size, requiring food producers to include “added sugar,” and adjusting the “serving size” listed “to better align with the amount consumers actually eat.”

The new labels will also include both “per serving” and “per package” calorie and nutrition information.

Further, companies are no longer required to place the amount of vitamin C or vitamin A, because deficiencies in either are very rare among Americans. However, vitamin D and potassium have been added to the nutrients that must be shown.

Michelle Obama and the FDA first rolled out the then proposed changes in 2014 as part of the first lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign, aimed at addressing health issues such as obesity and heart disease.

“Our guiding principle here is very simple: that you as a parent and a consumer should be able to walk into your local grocery store, pick up an item off the shelf, and be able to tell whether it’s good for your family,” Obama said at that time. “So this is a big deal, and it’s going to make a big difference for families all across this country.”

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in announcing the changes on Friday, “The updated label makes improvements to this valuable resource so consumers can make more informed food choices — one of the most important steps a person can take to reduce the risk of heart disease and obesity.”

“Manufacturers will have until July 26, 2018 to comply with the final requirements, and manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales will have an additional year to make the changes,” the FDA stated in its release. (For more from the author of “Michelle Obama and FDA Announce Major Food Labeling Changes” please click HERE)

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Exposed: Insider Rips Veil off Michelle Obama’s Sinister Hillary Clinton Secret

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Judy Woodruff, anchor of PBS’ News Hour and former White House Correspondent, wrote a forward for Kate Andersen Brower’s new book, “First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies.” Woodruff writes, “Superbly reported … A fascinating backstage account of the world’s most famous residence.”

But it’s not just what happens behind the scenes at the White House that’s making Brower’s new book the talk in media today. Also creating a buzz is the sentiment the Obamas apparently share towards the Clintons. Brower writes there exists, “deep and lasting scars on both the Clinton and Obama camps, and they are still shockingly fresh.”

The New York Post stated the new expose reveals, “Michelle Obama was even hoping Joe Biden would launch a presidential run so he could beat Hillary this time around.” A former Obama adviser reportedly told Brower, “When Michelle Obama views the Clintons, I don’t want to say she’s looking down her nose at them — but she kind of is,” adding Michelle’s relationship with Hillary is, “fraught with hurt feelings and resentment” . . .

With the FBI currently investigating Hillary Clinton for her handling of classified emails on a private server, combined with Brower’s new revelations about how the Obama’s supposedly feel about the Clintons, one might assume President Obama may not pardon Clinton if criminal charges are filed against her. Obama said as much Sunday when he was interviewed by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace. Obama said, “Nobody is above the law.” (Read more from “Exposed: Insider Rips Veil off Michelle Obama’s Sinister Hillary Clinton Secret” HERE)

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Feds to Fine Schools for Not Following Michelle Obama’s Lunch Rules

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The federal government is taking steps to fine schools that do not comply with first lady Michelle Obama’s school lunch rules.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service issued a proposed rule Monday to codify parts of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was championed by Mrs. Obama.

The regulation would punish schools and state departments with fines for “egregious or persistent disregard” for the lunch rules that imposed sodium and calorie limits and banned white grains.

A West Virginia preschool teacher was threatened with fines for violating the rules by rewarding her students with candy for good behavior in June 2015. The teacher ultimately did not have to pay, but the school had to develop a “corrective action plan” with training on the policies . . .

The government insisted that fines would be limited only to schools, school food authorities, and state agencies that have “failed to correct severe mismanagement of any program, disregarded a requirement of which it has been informed, or failed to correct repeated violations of program requirements.” (Read more from “Feds to Fine Schools for Not Following Michelle Obama’s Lunch Rules” HERE)

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Michelle Obama’s Floral Outfits Cost 23 Times Average Annual Salary in Cuba

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The two floral dresses that first lady Michelle Obama sported in Cuba this week would not be affordable for the wide majority of individuals living in the repressive country.

US Weekly recently spotlighted two outfits that Obama wore during appearances in Havana on Sunday and Monday that, according to a Free Beacon analysis, together cost more than 23 times the average annual state salary in Cuba recorded in 2014.

When the president and his family landed in Cuba Sunday, the first lady descended Air Force One wearing a sleeveless, rose-print dress made by designer Carolina Herrera. The dress is currently sold for $2,190 at Bergdorf Goodman, an upscale department store.

Later, on Monday evening, Obama dressed in a floral, knee-length dress from designer Naeem Khan to attend the state dinner at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, Cuba. A similar frock from Naeem Khan, a Barack Obama donor, available in the designer’s pre-fall 2016 collection costs $4,490. (Read more from “Michelle Obama’s Floral Outfits Cost 23 Times Average Annual Salary in Cuba” HERE)

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Schools Scramble to Deny Responsibility for Paltry Michelle Obama Breakfast

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Frenship-breakfastThere’s a controversy brewing around Lubbock regarding an unappetizing school breakfast photo depicting what appears to be a tortilla shell with three tater tots and a few bacon bits.

KCBD reports the meal photo was shared by local parents on Facebook as an example of the puny offerings served up in schools under Michelle Obama’s “healthy” school food regulations, and the news site attempted to track down where the image originated.

Officials in several area school districts, however, are denying responsibility for the failure as area parents continue to flood KCBD’s Facebook page with other examples.

Lubbock resident Maria Mendoza appears to have first posted the image to Facebook on Sept. 8 with a caption that read:

“My daughter sent me a picture what her school is serving them this morning(.) This isn’t enough food for high school kids. And during lunch they get 35 mins and there is (sic) so many kids that come don’t get through the line and than (sic) they’re late for class. Not enough seating either some have to sit on the floor to eat their lunch”

(Read more from “Schools Scramble to Deny Responsibility for Paltry Michelle Obama Breakfast” HERE)

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Thanks Michelle Obama: School Resumes — so Do Skimpy Lunches

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CNWVdYFUkAAdE_qBy Kyle Olson. Public schools across the country are throwing their doors open for another year of learning.

That can mean only one thing: the drudgery of school lunches influenced by Michelle Obama’s rules.

September 30 is the deadline for Congress to reauthorize — or change — the National School lunch Program. The program was changed dramatically in 2010 when the Democratically-controlled Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act — legislation that was championed by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Those members of Congress who are concerned about the success of the program may want to challenge their colleagues to taste test a sampling of these “creations” . . .

So far, few Republicans have been serious about changing the program that’s causing these lunches to be served. Will they listen to their constituents — and future voters — or Washington, D.C. bureaucrats who want to dictate what children will eat? (Read more from “Thanks Michelle Obama: School Resumes — so Do Skimpy Lunches” HERE)

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Study: Many Students Throwing out Fruits, Vegetables From School Lunches

By CBS Connecticut. Though many students may be loading up fruits and vegetables on their lunch trays, a lot of those aren’t actually being eaten.

New federal guidelines that require healthier school lunches are in effect, but a lot of children are simply throwing out fruits and vegetables instead of eating them, according to a new study.

University of Vermont researchers conducted a small study using digital photos to capture students’ lunch trays after selecting food, as they were leaving the lunch line, and then again after they passed their lunch trays to the food disposal area, as reported by CBS News. The study indicates that while more children are placing fruits and vegetables on their trays, they’re consuming fewer of them, with food waste increasing by 56 percent.

“We saw this as a great opportunity to access the policy change and ask a really important question, which was, ‘Does requiring a child to select a fruit or vegetable under the updated national school lunch program guidelines that came into effect in 2012 correspond with increased fruit and vegetable consumption?’” lead study author Sarah Amin told CBS News. “The answer was clearly no.”

The team of researchers evaluated hundred of tray observations over the course of 21 visits to two elementary school, both before and after the USDA guidelines were implemented. (Read more from ” Study: Many Students Throwing out Fruits, Vegetables From School Lunches” HERE)

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Michelle Obama’s Lunch Rules Have Cost Cafeteria Worker Jobs

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ti0155721Hundreds of school districts in the country have made layoffs and reduced hours for cafeteria workers due to First Lady Michelle Obama’s lunch rules, a new survey has found.

Participation in the school lunch program is down, food waste is up, and 80 percent of districts have taken steps to offset financial losses as a result of the healthy rules, according to a survey released Tuesday of more than 1,000 school districts by the Student Nutritional Association (SNA) . . .

More than half (57.7 percent) of school districts said participation in the school lunch program “somewhat” or “significantly” declined since the standards went into effect in 2012, and the vast majority of schools are having trouble financially.

“Despite efforts to promote healthier choices, there is clear consensus with regard to the impact of federal nutrition standards for meals and snacks: nearly seven of every 10 respondents say that the standards have been harmful to their program’s financial health since inception of the standards in 2012,” the SNA said. “Fewer than 3 percent report a benefit to their program’s financial heath from the standards, with the balance reporting either no impact or are unsure.”

As a result of the rules, districts have had to make layoffs and reduce hours for foodservice employees. (Read more from “Michelle Obama’s Lunch Rules Have Cost Cafeteria Worker Jobs” HERE)

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Michelle Obama’s Trip to Italy, UK Ran Taxpayers More Than $240K on Airfare Alone

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Michelle-Obama-CambodiaMichelle Obama’s June trip to Italy and the United Kingdom cost taxpayers more than $200,000 on air transportation alone, according to documents released by a government watchdog group.

The documents, obtained by Judicial Watch after filing a Freedom of Information Act request June 22, found that the First Lady’s international trip in June ran $240,495.67 in airfare costs. Obama, who was accompanied by her mother and daughters, took the six-day trip in late June and made stops in London, Milan, and Vicenza.

“According to the Air Force documents, the flights to London, England and Milan, Venice, and Vicenza, Italy, for the June 15–21, 2015, trip totaled 20:35 hours at the cost of $11,684 per hour, bringing the flight expense total to $240,495.67,” Judicial Watch writes.

The watchdog also notes that despite the White House billing the event as a part of Michelle’s “Let Girls Learn” and “Let’s Move” campaign, Michelle and company did their fair share of sightseeing on the trip and even sat down for tea at Kensington Place with Prince Harry. (Read more from “Michelle Obama’s Trip to Italy, UK Ran Taxpayers More Than $240K on Airfare Alone” HERE)

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Michelle Obama’s Lunch Laws Are Now Being Forced on Day Cares: No More Treats Allowed!‏

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As teachers lament seeing toddlers too large to fit in playground swings, a federal program that feeds millions of low-income children may be overhauled for the first time in almost 50 years, aiming to make the meals at day cares healthier and reduce obesity.

About 3.8 million young children are fed daily through the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which primarily reimburses day-care providers, and also provides food for children in emergency shelters and pays for after-school meals or snacks in areas where at least half the students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches.

Millions of more affluent children also are affected because at least 30 states — including North Carolina, Michigan, Oregon, and Virginia — require day cares to use the program’s nutrition guidelines to receive licenses. And beyond children, about 120,000 elderly or disabled adults are fed each day in programs designed to spell caregivers.

More vegetables and less sugar lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposals, developed with guidance from experts. Grain-based desserts, such as cookies and cakes, would no longer be reimbursable, and children younger than 1 would no longer be offered juice. Facilities wouldn’t be reimbursed when food is deep-fried on site, although prepackaged fried foods, such as chicken nuggets, could still be served, though recommendations urge that they be offered infrequently.

About one in eight low-income preschoolers is obese, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of 12.1 million children enrolled in federally funded nutrition programs from 2008 to 2011, the latest data available. (Read more from “Michelle O’s Lunch Laws Are Now Spreading to Day Cares: No More Treats Allowed!” HERE)

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Little Kids Create Salt Black Markets in Cafeterias Due to Michelle Obama’s Lunch Rules

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Children are creating their own black markets to trade and sell salt due to First Lady Michelle Obama’s school lunch rules.

During a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, chaired by Rep. Todd Rokita (R., Ind.), a school administrator told Congress of the “unintended consequences” of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

“Perhaps the most colorful example in my district is that students have been caught bringing–and even selling–salt, pepper, and sugar in school to add taste to perceived bland and tasteless cafeteria food,” said John S. Payne, the president of Blackford County School Board of Trustees in Hartford City, Indiana . . .

Payne noted other problems with the “one-size-fits-all” approach to providing healthier meals to students, including fewer kids participating in the program and higher food waste. The trend started in 2012, when the school lunch law, which was championed by Mrs. Obama, went into effect.

“Students are avoiding cafeteria food,” Payne said. “More students bring their lunch, and a few parents even ‘check out’ their child from campus, taking them to a local fast-food restaurant or home for lunch.” (Read more from “Kids Create Salt Black Markets in Cafeterias Due to Michelle Obama’s Lunch Rules” HERE)

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