Bake Sale Ban _ California _ Bunk
Thursday, October 30th, 2008Hope that headline is clear enough, but - man-oh-man! — I really can’t stand it when regulators go crazy and good intentions go way, way too far. That’s what’s happening in California, where new, increasingly egregious food regulations are being phased in. The end result? Basically the end of bake sales. And the end of a whole host of additional perfectly fine traditions and habits at schools.
One of these schools has no more dessert at lunch. That nice office secretary who’d always have a peppermint for you when school was feeling particularly difficult in some way? That peppermint is gone, too. (Thank God for the peppermint police!) The kids can’t have a hot dog sale that they used to have to fund a trip. Well, I suppose they could, if the hot dog was vegan.
(Note: before my vegan friends get up in arms. I have no problem with your vegan hot dogs. I’ve had a couple. But regular ol’ hot dogs are not causing obesity.)
What about parents making choices for their kids? A slice of pizza for lunch isn’t child abuse. A bake sale isn’t criminal. And — heck — my buying a box of hi-fat cookies from the Sally Foster catalog is none of your darn business. It’s as if we’re equating Christmas cookies with guns and ammo.
I’ll stop. But I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Same thing happening at your school? As parents, how can we step in and bring sanity back?




