School lunch, we eat it every day and it never changes. But why? We’re stuck
with the same 10 choices every week, if even. And most kids think that only
a few of the choices are good anyway, but like I said why?
with the same 10 choices every week, if even. And most kids think that only
a few of the choices are good anyway, but like I said why?
In 2010 “The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” was put into place and established healthier
school meals. Doing this made lunches have less sodium, sugar, and fat. But
did this really help us? On the school lunch menu, you can clearly see that
nothing on there is too nutritious. The item with the most protein is the spicy
chicken sandwich, with 25 grams. Another complaint a student had was
that we get the same serving sizes as the elementary schoolers. This is
true. Elementary, middle, and high school students all get the same portions,
even though elementary and middle school students are much smaller than
us, and we require more food to keep us energized throughout the day. Not
only are the portion sizes the same for elementary, middle, and high school
students, but the portions are also never the same, depending on how much
of what you want they have left, or just if the cafeteria staff is feeling
generous or not.
school meals. Doing this made lunches have less sodium, sugar, and fat. But
did this really help us? On the school lunch menu, you can clearly see that
nothing on there is too nutritious. The item with the most protein is the spicy
chicken sandwich, with 25 grams. Another complaint a student had was
that we get the same serving sizes as the elementary schoolers. This is
true. Elementary, middle, and high school students all get the same portions,
even though elementary and middle school students are much smaller than
us, and we require more food to keep us energized throughout the day. Not
only are the portion sizes the same for elementary, middle, and high school
students, but the portions are also never the same, depending on how much
of what you want they have left, or just if the cafeteria staff is feeling
generous or not.
Another reason school lunches are bad is a simple one, the budget. In 2023 it was reported that in
America, schools spent 17.2 billion dollars on cafeteria food (about $53 per
person), which may seem like a lot, but once you break it down, that’s
95,892 public schools in the US, which means they get $996 on average, to
feed all of us, which can’t be easy.
What are some solutions? One obvious answer is to pack a lunch, that way
you know you have enough food to get you through the day. But for some of
us, that’s not an option. You could bring a snack or two and eat in class if the
teacher allows it, and you are not disruptive or leaving trash. Unfortunately,
there is nothing the cafeteria staff, teachers or even the principals can do
about it, because it’s a state issue.
