Topic: Michelle and the food police

[LadyVirginia]

Darden to offer healthier kids' fare





First Lady Michelle Obama announced Thursday, September 15,… (Brian Yaklyvich, CNN)

September 15, 2011|By Sandra Pedicini, Orlando Sentinel


You want fries with that?

That's a question servers at Red Lobster, Olive Garden and other Darden chains won't be asking kids as the Orlando-based company moves toward a healthier menu.

The world's largest casual-dining company on Thursday enlisted in Michelle Obama's campaign to help young people lose weight and won the First Lady's praise.
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"This is a breakthrough moment in the restaurant industry,'' Michelle Obama said as she joined Darden chief executive officer Clarence Otis at an Olive Garden in Hyattsville, Md., near Washington, D.C. "I'm here because I believe the changes Darden will make could impact the health and well being of an entire generation of young people."

The changes go beyond what children get to eat. Across all its offerings, Darden plans to cut calories and salt by 10 percent over five years and by 20 percent over a decade through tinkering with recipes, cutting portions, removing some fatty or salt-laden foods and adding healthier fare.

Children's meals will come with sides of fruit or vegetables and 1 percent milk unless an adult requests a substitute. Sodas and fries will not be listed on the menus, but in most cases can be requested.

The children's changes will take place by July 2012, although some have already started. Olive Garden earlier this year dropped French fries and milkshakes from its kids meals, replacing them with grapes and fruit smoothies.

Similar changes also will happen at Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse and Bahama Breeze. Darden's other chains, Seasons 52 and Capital Grille, do not have menus for kids.

Darden, which serves more than 400 million meals a year, said Michelle Obama's fight against childhood obesity prompted it to act.

"Because of our First Lady's leadership, parents are more aware of the need to encourage healthier living and exercise," Otis said at the announcement with the First Lady. "At Darden, we want to support that effort."

link but avert your eyes it includes pic of Michelle "great arms" Obama

Ever see those ads for Olive Garden?  Everything is covered in white sauce and melted cheese.  I find it unappealing. 

  And they're going to take 10 years to make these insignificant changes!!

Yeah, they care about us cuz when we're there we're family...

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI) is a multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, near Orlando.[4] The firm owns several casual dining restaurant chains, most notably Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Red Lobster. Darden owns and operates 1,800 restaurant locations throughout North America and has more than 180,000 employees, making it the largest full-service casual dining company in the world by number of stores. Darden does not franchise its restaurants in the United States, but many of its international locations are not under corporate control.

linky dink here

[Pandora]

Hmmmm.  We're regulars at our local Longhorn Steakhouse.  This new information annoys me.

[LadyVirginia]

Hmmmm.  We're regulars at our local Longhorn Steakhouse.  This new information annoys me.

Annoys me too.

We're a stone's throw from Olive Garden and it's handy.  I generally avoid all the cheesy, gooey dishes but I liked going there. But I can decide what I eat, thank you very much.


It's one thing if a restaurant decides to improve their menu, quite another to get inspiration from Moochelle's campaign to police us all.