WASHINGTON--Tofu and Soyaburgers may be coming to American school lunch menus.What will the kids say? "Terrible," said Greg Dudzinski,17,of Ripon High School in Wisconsin,as he toured the US capital. "The regular hamburgers are bad enough,so soyaburgers would be a lot worse," offered Zach Richey,13,of Scottsboro Junior High in Alabama,another tourist. But the United States government--hoping to reduce the amount of fat that children are eating--has approved the use of soy as a meat substitute in meals for schools and day-care centers. Not all kids dislike the change Mariel Spano,17,of Sandy Creek High School in New York,also visiting the capital,said she likes soyaburgers:"There's less fat,and they're better for you.They taste the same,and they're just as good." The government tried to make soy a meat substitute nearly 20 years ago-but later dropped the idea.At the time,the plan was intended as a cost-cutting move .US Agriculture Department officials say their purpose now is only to make meals healthier. Schools are likely to increase the amount of soy that is mixed with hamburgers and other foods already on their menus,and they will also be looking to food companies to develop new soy products that children will like "I can't see putting tofu on a student's plate as being acceptable.I can see taking a product that's familiar to the students and adding a large amount of soy to it and having it be acceptable," said Jill Benza,director of food services for the Mesa,Arizona schools. Where did the interviews most probably take place?
In food companies. In schools. In Washington. In some other states.