USDA: Preschooler’s meal was not ‘replaced,’ mom was never charged fee

GREENSBORO, N.C. (By Ryan Sullivan, WGHP) — National attention has been drawn to a reported incident in which a North Carolina preschooler was given a cafeteria lunch because a state worker deemed her homemade lunch unhealthy.

The Carolina Journal first reported the incident on Tuesday in an article titled “Preschooler’s Homemade Lunch Replaced with Cafeteria ‘Nuggets’.” The reported incident revolves around state regulation that requires all lunches in pre-Kindergarten programs to meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines. It doesn’t matter if the lunches are packed from home or purchased in the cafeteria.

The Journal initially reported that a state agent was inspecting lunchboxes in a West Hoke Elementary School ‘More at Four’ classroom. The report has since been edited and no longer reads that it was a state agent but a “person who was inspecting lunches.”