FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

First Lady Michelle Obama’s Healthy School Food Initiative Is Doomed to Failure, Says Cafeteria Design Expert

Barry Schuster of Universal Seating Company offers free advice to Mrs. Obama to guarantee the success of her Healthy School Meals Program

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 18, 2010 -- As amazing as it sounds, the entire Healthy School Meals Program promoted by Mrs. Obama is sadly going to fail, according to Food Court design expert Barry Schuster of Universal Seating Company.

How can this be, when the best food scientists and nutrition specialists in the world are gathering to work on the problem of student obesity and diabetes?

“Well, it all goes back to an old lesson we all learned as kids,” states Schuster. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

“The reason students aren’t getting a healthy, nutritious USDA-approved meal today is that they won’t go into a cafeteria that looks like a prison! This is a tragedy for your kids - in not getting a healthy meal - and for school districts in lost revenue.”

When dull, drab cafeterias transform into bright, exciting Food Courts, student participation increases from 25% to 100% of previous amounts.

“That’s a whole lot of extra kids eating a healthy meal - instead of junk,” says Schuster. “Plus, the dining program can be completely self-sustaining without losing money for the school board.”

Here are six reasons to change your school dining rooms into Food Courts:

• Today, kids are exposed to fast food restaurants and they expect the places they eat in to look the same way.
• Remember your school dining room experience? Why do you expect your kids to like it better?
• Kids don’t mess up McDonald’s! Discipline problems in your dining room are reduced.
• When the students are involved in designing their new Food Courts, they have “ownership” and pride in their space.
• Fast food restaurants have spent millions of dollars to attract your students. Don’t fight it - COPY IT!
• When you change the environment, you change the perception of the School Food Program. It’s not the yucky cafeteria anymore, it’s the “Raider’s Cafe” (and the food tastes better!).

Barry Schuster is an irreverent and outspoken advocate for student nutrition who has created millions of dollars of additional revenue for school districts. For further information, visit www.universalseating.com.

To read more about Barry Schuster, visit: http://www.universalseating.com/press/bio_bschuster.asp

For further information, contact:
Barry Schuster
Barry_S@UniversalSeating.com

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