Hungry students

Sure, college students are always hungry and haven't always had the best diets. But even with all that's wrong in the world, it was this story that made me weep this morning:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-uc-irvine-food-pantry-20170927-story.html

Four out of ten University of California students do not have a consistently available source of adequate nutrition. UC Irvine is leading the way with a new state of the art food pantry on campus. But what is wrong with our priorities that this is necessary? I weep especially for first generation college students who have struggled to be there, but must continue to struggle with high tuitions and high housing costs on or near campuses, leaving nothing to eat on now and big debt later.

Let's get on with it and make tuition at public universities free. And let's make full meal plans available to students from low income families. If we can afford lavish expenses for federal officials and and increased military budget, surely we can afford to educate and feed our young people.

Much pondering is called for

on this article from The Atlantic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/02/eating-toward-immortality/515658/

My first reaction is that I am much closer to the
“the omnivore’s fun time at the supermarket”
than I am to the omnivore's dilemma, even though I do have certain values which guide my food choices.

My second thought is that dietary rigidity, when seen as a path to salvation and escape from disease and death, is really a form of idolatry.

I also wonder why this article, from February, just showed up in my Facebook feed today. Is it too challenging to too many of us to have made the rounds any quicker than that?

While looking for possible handouts on food waste

I ran across this
which is kind of fun.

I just wish I knew
how to make it bigger.

An interesting development

Now here's a helpful example of alternative facts; that is, actual facts that challenge food industry manipulated nutritional information. Facts as an alternative to misinformation. How about that!

https://www.feedthetruth.org/#truth-transparency-integrity

A story in FERN this week reports that the founder of KIND, Daniel Lubetzky, who's funding this is creating a kind of blind trust, leaving the direction of the site to a board of notable nutrition scientists.

Think of it as the Antisugar. Or the food biz's Antitrump.

A School Lunch Hero

and a good summary of the history and issues of school lunch policies.
http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/school-lunch/

I've been on Facebook a little too much, but this story is too long and too complex to share there. It's information is a good preparation for countering whatever selfish bunkum the current Republican administration throws at us.

This article reminded me that on the things we care deeply about - such as all our school children having access to wholesome food - we need to be prepared with facts and good examples of what works. It also underscores the importance of working locally with day-to-day doggedness to achieve our goals, not focusing on celebrity initiatives.