The federal government says spinach is so healthy that schools will lose their eligibility for funding if the Popeye favorite is not served, but some orthodox schools say the rule is full of bugs – literally.

Several orthodox Jewish groups have asked the US Dept. of Agriculture to choose substitutes for leafy green vegetables that are difficult if not impossible to be cleaned of tiny insects that are forbidden under Jewish dietary laws, the Forward reported.




“The problem of insect infestation has been confirmed by numerous rabbinical authorities and kosher certification agencies, and many schools have raised this problem,” Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israel’s Washington director, said in a statement.

Another complaint about the federal program is that it wants t limit the amount of grain-based foods, a diet that would not allow for any other grainy foods except for the one slice of bread that is required in order to recite the Grace after Meals.