First Lady: Kids Need Free Milk Refills.

Michelle Obama has helped secure a legally binding agreement with the owners of Olive Garden and Red Lobster that would require the restaurants to reduce calories and serve free milk refills to kids.

The agreement between parent company, Darden Restaraunts, and “Let’s Move” is an obvious PR campaign for Olive Garden and Red Lobster, paid for by the American taxpayer. The restaurants make minor menu changes and they get an endorsement from the First Lady. Good deal for them.

Here is what Darden Restaurants agreed to do:

- Serve milk (with free refills) as the default drink on kid’s meals.

- Offer healthier side dishes in place of fries (which will be available on request).

- A 10 percent reduction to calories and sodium in kids items by 2016.

- A 20 percent reduction to calories and sodium in kids items by 2021.

This means that by 2021, Olive Garden’s ”Kid’s Chicken Fingers and Pasta” will go from 515 calories to 403 calories. But don’t forget, the kids get unlimited milk refills and each glass weighs in at 110 calories.

I tend to think very highly of Michelle Obama, but this feels like a government sponsored advertisement for Olive Garden and Red Lobster disguised as “health reform.”