Baylen Linnekin on Why Parents and Kids Should Opt Out of School Lunch

School food is always a hot topic, and is perhaps more so now than it's ever been. From a publicity standpoint, school food has recently taken off as an issue largely due to the efforts of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and First Lady Michelle Obama. But viewed from the standpoint of edibility, cost, and healthiness, food served by public schools via the USDA's National School Lunch Program was already an issue because that program and its food have a decades-long track record of sucking. And in spite of the best efforts of Oliver and Mrs. Obama, along with new government rules set to take effect in the coming months, there's little reason to be optimistic that the quality of school food will improve anytime soon. As Baylen Linnekin, executive director of the nonprofit Keep Food Legal, writes, it's time for parents and families to take back control of what their kids are eating.