Grasshopper New Media Presents...

Of course, it had to happen. A public information program, touting healthy living, got caught in the recall scandal. State finds lead hazard in its free lunch totes blares a headline in the recent Los Angeles Times. The offending giveaways were part of the “Eat Fruits and Vegetables and Be Active” campaign sponsored by The Department of Health Services, in the increasing chubby state of California and were distributed to schools across the state.

I actually am a fan of this program. I have a tee-shirt with their logo and enjoyed the free organic fruits and vegetables that they GAVE AWAY each Tuesday at my DS’s preschool the last few years. The parents enjoyed sampling the fresh vegetables that lay out on their table and enjoyed even more watching their kids trying them.

I am however, not surprised. Even the most scrupulous consumer will most likely find something in their cabinets on one of the long and varied recall lists recently distributed. It’s simply a product of the times. As consumers increasingly demand low prices products, manufacturers produce them…anyway they can. As government health and human services budgets get cut and cut and cut, they too go searching for the cheapest way to be effective broadcasting in their message.

This is just one of those times when we all look around helplessly unsure of what to do. Hopefully the press coverage and grassroots consumer movements will bring changes. It’s too likely though that after a few minor adjustments life will go on as usual and this will all fade from the collective public conscience.

[tags]kids, children, parents, parenting, safety, eating, food, lunch totes, bags, lead, recall, hazardous, care[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by phitar, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved