McGovern Urges International Lunch Program

May 31, 2000

Former Sen. George McGovern (D-SD) believes a "universal school lunch program" could help alleviate hunger among 300 million children worldwide. Former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) agreed but thought it could be "costly." The remarks came at a nutrition summit in Washington where Glickman was the target of a pie thrown by an animal rights activist.

McGovern said such a program was within the reach of the international community. He now serves as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome. McGovern said he had discussed the idea with President Clinton and top administration officials.

Also speaking at the summit, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said only 12% of U.S. consumers have a proper diet. "Too many Americans still are malnourished without food or living unhealthy lifestyles," he said. More than half the U.S. population is overweight or obese.

As Glickman stood to begin his remarks, a woman rushed to the podium yelling, "Shame on you, Dan Glickman" over and over again, then threw a pie at the secretary. Glickman removed his stained suit coat and quipped, "It wasn’t a very balanced meal she threw at me either."

He then noted the incident illustrated that "people are concerned about the food we eat."