To the Editor:
Spot on in your analysis of NYC and an accurate depiction of Oakland — one of my favorite cities in the US. NYC has lost its grit, cultural innovation, and energy. Manhattan and Brooklyn are stomping grounds for the oligarchs and nouveau riche. I suggest you send this article as a letter to the Lies of the Times to rebut the inaccurate depictions of Oakland.
Manny Ness
New York, NY
To the Editor:
Thank you, Ms. Woldow, for explaining the law of unintended consequences when it comes to the new School Food regulations. It is clear that the goal was to improve the healthfulness of school food and promote fruit and vegetable intake. The rub is that it has been decreed that Americans eat too much protein (this typically only holds for higher income folks), resulting in skimpy portions for growing children.
I am a nutritionist and cannot really understand why we would want to limit protein to such small portions, except to make the regulations cost neutral, since protein costs more than starchy foods and with the additional fruits and vegetables, this is what you probably need to do. Then there is the issue of increasing fruits and vegetables without engaging your clients (the students). It would be very sad to offer relatively expensive fruits and vegetables and see them end up in the trash, simply because students have to take them.
The reality is that Congress required over 60 cents of additional expense while only appropriating an additional 6 cents. Now the rubber meets the road, where legumes, being both protein alternatives and vegetables cannot be counted as both in a given meal!This is always the hardest time, when rigid regulations have not yet come to terms with actual reality. I hope that some studies on plate waste, and a challenge to promote the very innovation that these regulations seem to discourage, will tackle the inevitable bumps in the road to effective implementation.
I trust Dana Woldow will continue to illuminate the challenges, and the creative problem solving it will take, to truly create healthy school meals.
Laura Brainin-Rodriguez
San Francisco
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