School lunch scores federally-funded golden raspberries

Imagine a hot lunch in a lower-income school district featuring bushels of fresh fruits and vegetables. Golden raspberries and asparagus instead of that sugary fruit cup and mushy corn. Just the kind of low-calorie, high-nutrition foods needed to fight obesity and poor nutrition, and at a price families in need can afford -- free.

Thanks to the new, federally-funded Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program, schools with at least half the student body eligible for free or reduced-price lunch are tapping into $49 million this year to underwrite healthy produce. In return, schools pick up the labor costs and nutrition lessons. Amazingly, this growing program is expected to fork out $150 million in 2011-12.

I'm ever-complaining that school lunch is junk. This is one program I'm proud to support through taxes. Exposing students and their peers to a variety of fruits and vegetables in a positive, educational environment is a great idea.