Students launch protest over school lunches

CLEVELAND --  The video parody on YouTube called "We Are Hungry" set to Fun's song "We Are Young" received more than half a million hits this week.

While the video may be comical, the message isn't. The Kansas kids who put it together say the new federal student lunch guidelines don't give them enough to eat.

The new nutrition guidelines are set at 650 calories for elementary school students, 700 for middle school and 850 for high school.

But some students, especially athletes, say it isn't enough.

The government defended the stricter guidelines saying one in three children in America is overweight or obese and at risk for diabetes.

The USDA proposed updated, science-based nutrition standards for local schools to develop their own menus to ensure children have the energy they need.

But when 17-year-old Joey Nemecek, of Michigan, started taking pictures of his "healthy" lunch and posting them on Facebook, other students at his school started boycotting lunch.

"The mashed potatoes are like water. They've tried changing that, but like you put it on your spoon and it'll just roll off like water," he said.

His school district is promising to come up with more appetizing options that still fit federal guidelines.

-  WKYC.com