Government ploy

When I saw the headline, “USDA wants soy alternatives in school lunches” (BDN, Dec. 24), I thought “How enlightened!” My pleased surprise was soured by the realization that this was probably another government ploy to stick it to the taxpayers, and, worse, the children.

Isn’t the U.S. Department of Agriculture the co-patentee with the agri-chem giants that have bio-engineered America’s soybean crop right out of the European market? So to support their investment, it appears they plan to foist these genetically modified soybeans, unsalable in most of the world, on unsuspecting schoolchildren.

Soy alternative lunches are a great idea. There probably isn’t a kid alive who can tell tempeh sloppy joes or tofu ravioli from the “original.” But don’t let these corporations dump their Frankenfoods on the schoolchildren. School boards beware: Tell the USDA you might try soy protein, but only if they will assure you it isn’t a GMO product. Don’t give our youngsters something already rejected by many of this country’s trading partners. JoAnne Fuerst Mount Desert