If lunch is supposed to fuel students for the rest of the day, why does it feel like the same meal on repeat every week? All schools in Harford County provide breakfast and lunch for the students. But there’s been speculations that students would prefer less repetitive lunches. The purpose of this is to provide a variety of nutritious options that will be enjoyed by all students. During the week, there are many times where there are repeats of the same meal which starts to get old and less enjoyable. When students lose interest in school lunch then it can lead to wasted food, unhealthy alternatives, and less energy for the rest of the day. The county has a chance to improve its lunch options by increasing the variety being offered, listening to student feedback, and offering more diverse and nutritious options. 

One way to reduce the number of repeated meals at school is creating a larger meal schedule that rotates every 4-6 weeks instead of repeating weekly and sometimes multiples time in a week. They could also add more variety in main meals, sides, and snacks in each rotation. This is because students get bored eating the same food which can cause less interest in school lunches from the students. Another way to help this issue is to survey students about their food preferences. The school could do this by doing surveys or suggestion boxes. The purpose of this is because students are more likely to eat meals that they helped choose, which can increase the majority of students’ satisfaction. The school sometimes has one or two options of a wrap or a salad, so providing healthier choices along with adding different fruits, vegetables, and protein options can encourage healthier eating habits. This gives students options to match their dietary needs and feel full. The last idea is to introduce weekly or monthly “specials”. This can consist of a limited time menu item once a week or month. Special meals can keep students interested and excited about what’s next.  

I interviewed my friend Sarah Sayers about the school lunch; she is a junior at C. Milton Wright. I asked her what her opinion is on the school lunch, and she said that she only buys it when, “there are foods that I like being offered which is only about 2-3 times a week.” She also believes that most of the school lunch is, “unhealthy and is the same cycle of food every week.” This shows you that there are many students who feel this way, so if enough students come together, this is something that can be arranged and fixed. Sarah believes that a way to fix this is, “schools offering longer lunch periods since a majority of lunch time is spent walking to the cafeteria and waiting in line for food.”