The Tale Of The Illegal Cookie

The Daily Caller is reporting today on the saga of the famous Elyria pink cookie. The cookie has been a staple in the public schools in Elyria, Ohio, since roughly the Carter Administration. Now the cookie is illegal because it does not meet the nutritional guidelines of the new Smart Snacks standards created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is part of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a signature issue of Michelle Obama.

The article reports:

Amy Higgins, a spokeswoman for Elyria City Schools, agreed.

“It’s a tradition,” Higgins told Fox. “It’s not only a tradition. It’s one that tastes really, really good. You’d be surprised by how many people are upset about the pink cookie going away. Anyone who’s gone to Elyria schools in the last 40 years knows the pink cookie.”

Efforts to bring the pink cookie into conformity with federal guidelines have failed.

Teaman, the cafeteria services director, told The Chronicle-Telegram that his staff tried whole-grain flour and less icing, to no avail.

“There is only one way to do the pink cookie, and to do it any other way would not do it justice,” he said.

“It’s not the pink cookie anymore,” Higgins explained. “It doesn’t maintain the integrity of the homemade recipe.”

Mayor Brinda likened an Obama administration-approved pink cookie to “eating diet potato chips.”

The government should not be taking cookies out of schools. I understand that obesity in children is a problem in America, but that is not the government’s responsibility. I would not oppose a program to educate children and parents about nutrition, but I am not sure that this is a matter of education. I do think banning a cookie is not something the government needs to be involved in.