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The changes mark the first overhaul of the school lunch program in more than 15 years and will affect the nearly 32 million children who eat at school. The new regulations will be phased in over the next three years, starting in the fall.
“We strongly support the regulations,” said Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokeswoman for the Maryland-based School Nutrition Association. “The new nutrition standards for school meals are great news for kids.”
Yes BUT...I think schools should focus on a handful of things and only offer those. There is no need for a lot of variety, it's not a restaurant. If tuna sandwiches get boring, for example, they can bring something from home, etc. Saves money and time, healthy food can be offered, nobody will starve.
I'm a cafeteria cook, and our school observes the mandated improvements handed down to make our lunches healthier. The slushy machine was taken out of our cafeteria, for example. We have a main lunch line, as well as two full ala carte areas, which offers a lot of variety for students (the ala carte areas offer a salad bar, pasta bar, stuffed peppers, homemade meatloaf, homemade chili, etc.). We now have romaine lettuce in our salads, as opposed to just iceburg, and baby carrots are included in the main lunch line every day. Our sandwiches, hamburgers, and hoagies are served on whole wheat rolls that are baked daily in the cafeteria's bakery department. There is an option of fresh fruit - apples, bananas, oranges, and tangerines - to the canned variety. There are still french fries and pizza available, but these must be purchased separately - it is not part of the standard lunch.
Another unfunded mandate. As long as the Feds keep turning a blind eye to illegal farm labor schools will be able to comply. I just hope they never crack down - school lunches will be $5. It won't just be the bullies after the kid's lunch money. Your average school bus would net more than a bank heist. :grin:
I'm a cafeteria cook, and our school observes the mandated improvements handed down to make our lunches healthier. The slushy machine was taken out of our cafeteria, for example. We have a main lunch line, as well as two full ala carte areas, which offers a lot of variety for students (the ala carte areas offer a salad bar, pasta bar, stuffed peppers, homemade meatloaf, homemade chili, etc.). We now have romaine lettuce in our salads, as opposed to just iceburg, and baby carrots are included in the main lunch line every day. Our sandwiches, hamburgers, and hoagies are served on whole wheat rolls that are baked daily in the cafeteria's bakery department. There is an option of fresh fruit - apples, bananas, oranges, and tangerines - to the canned variety. There are still french fries and pizza available, but these must be purchased separately - it is not part of the standard lunch.
Dang, I wish I went to your school growing up. Sounds like your kids eat well.
Dang, I wish I went to your school growing up. Sounds like your kids eat well.
They get a good lunch for the money. They (or their parents) purchase debit cards. The main line lunch is $1.35. For example, a day's main line lunch menu could include homemade stromboli (we make our own dough), with sauce, salad, baby carrots, fruit, and milk. Of course, if they want to buy pizza, french fries, chili, noodles, or something from the ala carte area, it is extra. For example, a bowl of chili is 80 cents. We have four cooks (I am one) and two bakers.
Last edited by Mrs. Skeffington; 01-25-2012 at 11:40 PM..
"For many students, L.A. Unified's trailblazing introduction of healthful school lunches has been a flop. Earlier this year, the district got rid of chocolate and strawberry milk, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, nachos and other food high in fat, sugar and sodium. Instead, district chefs concocted such healthful alternatives as vegetarian curries and tamales, quinoa salads and pad Thai noodles. There's just one problem: Many of the meals are being rejected en masse. Participation in the school lunch program has dropped by thousands of students. Principals report massive waste, with unopened milk cartons and uneaten entrees being thrown away. At many campuses, an underground market for chips, candy, fast-food burgers and other taboo fare is thriving."
I once kiddingly predicted in these forums that the local drug dealer would drop the drugs and replace them with snack food, bottles of soda, salt and trans fats if the government and Mrs Obama, Mayor Bloomberg and the other Big Lib Nannys kept telling us what to eat. Looks like I might have been right
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