In order to abide by federal school lunch regulations pushed by first lady Michelle Obama, the Tennessee State Board of Education passed new restrictions on school bake sales, Eagle News reports.
Under the new rules, schools can only have bake sales for 30 days of the school year. But there’s also a catch. Virtually any food-related activity during school hours — whether in the classroom or at a pep rally — constitutes one day. (RELATED: DC Children Avoiding Michelle Obama’s Healthy Lunches)
Deputy executive director of the State Board of Education, David Sevier, said the regulations are ridiculous.
“That means if the Spanish club sells sausage biscuits one morning, that’s one day,” Sevier said. “If there’s a school-wide event where all the teachers cook hamburgers for the seniors, then that’s a day. If there’s a day when the parents do pizza for the entire school, that’s a day.”
“If it’s 10 kids or 1,000 kids, it’s still counting as one of those events,” Sevier added.
These new regulations are being enforced to abide by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This act gives the U.S. Department of Agriculture power to set food guidelines and nutritional standards for public schools. According to the Tennessean, the federal regulations extend beyond the cafeteria. Vending machines, school snacks and fundraisers that operate within school hours are also subject to the restrictions.
“If I thought I could generate revenue selling carrot sticks, I could tear it up,” Sevier said. (RELATED: Nation’s Children Push Back Against Michelle Obama-Backed School Lunch Regs)