Ron DeSantis says he’ll keep his hands off school lunches: Florida Governor tells ninth-grade student that Washington won’t ‘dictate’ meals – after he complained about cafeteria frozen pizzas and canned oranges
Ron DeSantis says he’ll keep his hands off school lunches: Florida governor tells ninth-grade student Washington won’t ‘dictate’ meals — after complaining about cafeteria frozen pizzas and canned oranges
- Ron DeSantis vowed to keep the government out of school lunches
- At South Carolina City Hall, he was asked about Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program and its nutritional needs
- DeSantis, who recently lost weight, also railed against carbs
Ron DeSantis vowed to keep the government out of school lunches when a student questioned him about Michelle Obama’s nutrition push as part of her Let’s Move program.
The Florida governor was holding a campaign event in South Carolina when a ninth grade student inquired about school lunches. She noted that the former first lady had pushed for health and nutrition, but her school served canned oranges and frozen pizza.
‘I wonder if anything can be done to ensure that we eat healthier lunches? And that students have more options?,’ she asked.
Ron DeSantis vowed to keep the government out of school lunches
DeSantis applauded her question, saying he supported healthy choices without pushing for a federal mandate.
“But what I don’t want is for the federal government to come and try to force you to make choices. I think you give people the information, let them know what to expect,” he said.
Michelle Obama, as first lady, started Let’s Move to combat childhood obesity. In addition to getting kids to exercise, she did away with the classic “food pyramid” and replaced it with a “food plate” to represent the different food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein.
DeSantis, who has noticeably lost weight in recent months, railed against recommended carbohydrate servings, saying health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Health and the Food and Drug Administration need to be “cleaned up.” .’
“They used to do the food pyramid,” he noted. ‘They said: don’t eat fat, eat all the carbohydrates, no, the carbohydrates will also make you fat. And they were wrong about that. And so I think we have to be honest, and all these agencies, CDC, NIH, FDA, they need to be cleaned up.”
DeSantis was in South Carolina to formally submit his paperwork for the Republican presidential ballot.
He was the first GOP contender to do so.
South Carolina will hold its GOP presidential primaries on February 24. It also has two home state contenders running for the Republican nomination: former Governor Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott.
Michelle Obama as first lady (above) started the Let’s Move program to end childhood obesity
DeSantis’ event on Monday also had some controversy.
His town hall was interrupted by gay rights protesters, who held up rainbow flags and shouted at the governor of Florida.
He responded by telling them to “leave our children alone.”
A cornerstone of DeSantis’ 2024 platform is preventing “indoctrination” of children and combating “wake-up” in the school systems. LGBTQ activists claim his agenda is anti-gay and threatens the safety of their community.
At least three individuals took off overshirts at the top of DeSantis’ comments in Tega Cay, South Carolina on Monday to reveal white t-shirts with rainbow flags on them. They then unfurled multiple gay pride flags and held them aloft behind the Florida governor.