Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, announced Friday that he is introducing a bill that would prohibit any funds from being used to implement USDA’s new regulations on school fundraisers and bake sales during school hours, but USDA officials said the matter is really up to state governments.

“The federal food police need to stay out of our schools,” Poe said. “First, the regulators came into our lunchrooms, then vending machines and now school fundraisers.

“For years, students and parents have used the bake sale as a way to raise funds for school trips, athletic competitions, new uniforms and other activities. Teachers in my district have come to me concerned that this new rule will prevent their students from holding various after-school activities,” Poe said.

“Washington bureaucrats have no business telling any American (no matter what age) what they can and cannot eat. Not only is this rule an example of gross government overreach, it is also denying public schools funds for extra-curricular activities. Congress should not fund any efforts to implement this abuse of government power,” Poe added.

A spokesman for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told The Hagstrom Report, “States have always had complete authority to set their own policies on bake sales and other fundraisers,” the spokesman said. “The updated school meal standards made clear that states are free to allow fundraisers that don't meet the healthy standards if they choose.”

Agriculture Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon wrote in a blog post last summer: “States are free to allow fundraisers and bake sales featuring foods and beverages that don’t meet the new standards during the school day if they choose. They, not USDA, are responsible for determining the number and the frequency of these events each year.”

▪ USDA — Setting the Record Straight: Healthy School Meal Rules Allow for Bake Sales