At President Obama's interactive health care strategy meeting on Thursday, the President was asked about healthy eating and how he and his family keeps so fit. Obama went on to praise the idea of getting local foods in schools, and even said he wanted a farmers market right outside the White House.
Read the excerpt of his answer below:
When it comes to food, one of the things that we are doing isworking with school districts. And the child nutrition legislation is
going to be coming up. We provide an awful lot of school lunches out
there and -- and reimburse local school districts for school-lunch
programs. Let's figure out how can we get some fresh fruits and
vegetables in the mix. Because sometimes you go into schools and --
you know what the menu is, you know? It's French fries, Tater Tots,
hot dogs, pizza and -- now, that's what kids -- let's face it, that's
what kids want to eat, anyway. (Laughter.) So it's not just the
schools' fault.
A, that's what kids may want to eat. B, it turns out that that
food's a lot cheaper, because of the distributions that we've set up.
And so what we've got to do is to change how we think about, for
example, getting local farmers connected to school districts, because
that would benefit the farmers, delivering fresh produce, but right
now they just don't have the distribution mechanisms set up.
So, you know, Michelle set up that garden in the White House?
One of the things that we're trying to do now
is to figure out, can we get a little farmers' market -- outside of
the White House -- I'm not going to have all of you all just tromping
around inside -- (laughter) -- but right outside the White House --
(laughter) -- so that -- so that we can -- and -- and -- and that is a
win-win situation.
It gives suddenly D.C. more access to good, fresh food, but it also is
this enormous potential revenue-maker for local farmers in the area.
And -- and that -- those kinds of connections can be made all
throughout the country, and -- and has to be part of how we think
about health.