White House upset over subway posters

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A new ad campaign by a group advocating for healthier school lunches has stirred up a food fight of sorts in Washington.

Posters placed in a Washington subway station and created by the non-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine show a young girl with a thought bubble containing these words:

“President Obama’s daughters get healthy school lunches. Why don’t I?”

The White House has asked the group to take the signs down, saying they violate Malia and Sasha Obama’s privacy. Neither Sasha nor Malia are pictured in the ad.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is pushing for lower-fat and vegetarian options at public schools. They claim that at the first daughters’ private school, healthier options are served. They believe that should be the case at all public schools across the country.

“Eighty-percent of schools are providing foods that are too high in fat, that are too high in calories, and the result is childhood obesity. It’s the critical issue of our time,” says Dr. Neal Barnard from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

“I think the President absolutely has to protect his children and that’s why you don’t see the children’s names or pictures at all on here. What we’re comparing are the schools. Childhood obesity is a tremendous problem and kids who are at public schools deserve healthy meals just like kids who are in private schools,” says Barnard.

Congress is on the verge of reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act. The posters were placed at Union Station, the subway and Amtrak station next to Capitol Hill in hopes of influencing lawmakers.

The 8-year-old girl in the ad, Jasmine Messiah of Florida also wrote a letter to Malia and Sasha Obama asking for their help in getting more fruits and veggies in public schools.