Exactly 13 minutes later she was done. The chicken nuggets and the starch were gone. But the green beans? Still there in a neat pile and headed straight for the trash.

common since the Agriculture Department rolled out new requirements in the 2012 school year that mandated that children who were taking part in the federal lunch program choose either a fruit or vegetable with their meals.

Because they were forced to do it, children took fruits and vegetables -- 29 percent more in fact. But their consumption of fruits and vegetables actually went down 13 percent after the mandate took effect and, worse, they were throwing away a distressing 56 percent more than before.

Schools are losing money. In other words, fewer students are buying school lunch, which decreases the amount of revenue the school generates through its lunch program.

we cannot expect children to switch from pudding to apples without help

quality, fresh food and local food when possible, to make the school food experience nutritious, fun and educational.

I was surprised by how excited and interested students were. Students had a lot of questions for the farmer and went away with a better understanding of where apples come from or how they are grown.”