Spelt Right helps kids eat better

Last night I heard some encouraging news about the state of school food. It seems Beth George who runs Spelt Right bagel company in Portland is working with the Scarborough School system to evaluate the link between low-quality cafeteria food and the sky-rocketing costs of special education. George started the bakery after discovering that her son's erratic behavior and digestive problems were caused by the wheat, artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils in his diet. Once they were gone, he got better. As an attorney who's advocated for children with similar issues, she's witnessed this link between behavior and diet on numerous occasions. Now she's working to bring that information to people who can make a difference in kids diets.

It only makes sense that if schools spent more money serving locally-grown, whole foods (instead of the mystery meat and overly processed junk the USDA likes to dump on them), the need for special education (where schools can spend upwards of $100,000 a year on one student) will decline. And that sounds like a win-win for Maine taxpayers and farmers.