“What’s Inside The 26-Ingredient School Lunch Burger?,” a campaign launched last spring, by the group Real Food for Kids, advocated for healthier foods in Virginia schools.
But it seems that the mission has been missed form all corners.
After introducing all- beef patties at the Fairfax County public school a year ago, the school authorities have again brought back additive-filled burgers. Complaints from students regarding the taste have been cited as the reason for the switch over.
Surprised by the switch to additive-filled burgers, Ryan McElveen, school board member who had pushed for fresh and nutritious food in schools said, “To me, it was surprising because it seems a bit like a step backwards.”
The change was brought about after “students noticed that the old patties appeared to be pink in the middle,” The Washington Post reported.
The previous version of burgers or the switch over version doesn’t contain the “pink slime,” a filler product, a school spokesman said.
Justifying the switch over to the previous version of burgers, Penny McConnell, Fairfax schools’ food and nutritional service director said, “the students are our customers and we listen to them and implement their requests if possible.”
The advocacy group annoyed
The idea to change back to the addictive-burger version is not acceptable to the Real Food for Kids, an advocacy group of concerned parents. The group aims to stop schools from serving processed foods with additives, the trigger factors for serious illnesses and obesity to children.
Annoyed with the change, JoAnne Hammermaster, co-founder and president of RFFK, told The Washington Post, “We worked so hard, and we talk a lot about this burger and how we changed it.”
