The Food Police invade Illinois school, tattle on kid's lunch habits

One Illinois school system has taken an unusual step to fight childhood obesity; requiring kids to use their fingerprints to pay for their school lunch choices. The technology, supplied by Nutrikids, can provide interested parents with a detailed record of the dining habits of their children. No more Cheesedoodles for you, Tubby!

The system has other advantages for the school. The kids prepay for lunch, so the school has a nice pool of cash. It cuts down on the need for staff and reduces shrinkage. When the child's account gets light, an email is automatically sent to parents reminding them to deposit more lunch money.

Parents can also choose to receive emails listing their children's lunch choices, so they can direct them to better selections. Sound OK, right?

Let's look at it in a different way, though. Suppose your children could get a full listing of your lunch choices- would they show more wisdom of choice? Or are you sneaking those cheesy fries and pasta Alfredo?