School Meals: A Case Study

Nicholas Confessore, the author of ”How School Lunch Became the Latest Political Battleground”, displays the challenges of transitioning from the old rules to the new rules as part of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign. It is clear to all parties that childhood obesity is rising at a dangerous rate in America and school lunches are believed to be the necessary first change. Unfortunately, the multiple different parties that are involved in making the changes do not see eye-to-eye. The School Nutrition Association is one of the groups pushing back against the new government policies. Since the SNA is comprised mostly of lunch ladies, they believe the current meals are the healthiest meal most students receive in a given day.

Child hunger in America is not something that you can just sweep under the rug, as well as child hunger in other parts of the world. Many schools have financial aid for lunch for families that live in poverty, meaning that a child may receive lunch free or at a reduced price. This is very beneficial for kids while they are in school but when school is out, those benefits are no longer available to them. “During

Another solution that could be implemented to solve school lunch debt is by providing free meals. By providing free meals to students, they are able to have the exact meals as their peers, parents will not have to worry about finding the funds to pay for school lunches, moreover students are having their nutritional needs met, which is essential to their development. Despite how simple this may sound, this can easily impact local businesses as a result of a decline of how much product that is being sold. According to an article written by Denise-Marie Ordway, “Food purchases decline by an estimated $11 per month, on average, among households with children located in the same zip code as the school offering universal free meals” (Ordway, Section 16). Due to the fact that it wastes food, declines sales in grocery stores, and costs more taxes, this is another solution that is not the best for this particular issue, but can also be used as a potential solution in the

Yes, one may understand that our budget is low and healthy foods tend to always cost quite a bit more, yet that should not mean anything because this is an individual’s health we are talking about. In the newspaper article, “No Lunch Left Behind,” by Alice Waters and Katrina Heron, the authors make it a point that, “Cash-strapped parents should be able to rely on the government to contribute to their children’s physical well-being, not to the continued spread of youth obesity, Type 2 diabetes and other diet related problems”(10). Waters and Heron want to prove that a good, free lunch can exist, although people need to be willing to help in one way or another and contribute to a making a healthy meal being provided at school. What about the students who are suffering from a disease already? What do they eat at school, knowing they have to watch what they eat on a daily basis?

The school cafeteria plans to change our lunch to a more healthier lunch menu and i believe that it is a bad idea. Our school lunches are the most important meal that students get and it would be unfair if students to take away their favorite meals. The school lunch is sometimes the only thing some students get to eat a day. Some Lunches would be left tasteless and unappetizing. I believe that if we change our school lunches that Most students will go without the basic nutrition that we need through out the school day.

Over the years the school lunches in america has changed drastically.15 to 20 percent of the products in the program are purchased by the USDA.The school lunch system in America has changed over the years in many ways. The school lunch program started when Harry S. Truman in 1946 was president as a way to help every child have a very nutritious lunch while in school. Studies showed that people believe that if they had the energy they needed to get them through the day it most likely would have came from a nutritional lunch. Over the years people were concerned about the amount of fat the school lunches and breakfasts were providing for the children. Many children have unhealthy eating habits through the high fat pizzas, burgers, and French

Therefore schools are limited in options in regards to serving a variety of foods at lunch; snacks sold now have to be less than 200 calories, and students are leaving the cafeteria hungry due to the lack of tasty foods getting served. This essay proves these new guidelines are not a major step in the right direction towards improving school lunches; however they bring a whole new threshold of possibilities to the nutrition aspect of the overall picture of a healthy and delicious school

With old school lunches many meals did not provide students with the proper amounts of protein, fruits, and vegetables since they mainly consisted of foods such as pizza, macaroni and cheese, and grilled cheese. All of these popular foods were filled with unnecessary fats, oils, and carbs that students did not need in their daily diets. New school lunches will help provide all students with necessary vitamins and minerals into their diet such as Vitamin D and K through popular vegetables and fruits. Along with the general population of students, a new healthier lunch will majorly benefit the low-income students, as most school systems give these students a free or price-reduced lunch. Since for some of these students, it is their only whole meal of the day it is important for them to have a proper meal.

Effects of Having First Lunch Over Second Lunch is a time where for thirty minutes everyone settles down to eat and laugh with their friends In many high schools, such as Mountain Pointe High School, there are two lunches to accommodate the student body because one lunch would be too crowded and large. There is first lunch, which is also called fourth lunch because it occurs after third period and then there is second lunch, also called fifth lunch because it is after fourth period. Both lunches have their benefits, but the ones from first lunch can have a tremendous impact. In general, the effects of first lunch instead of second can greatly improve the quality of life for a student.

Are School Lunches Really Healthy For You? Imagine going to school and thinking, oh boy what am I going to have for lunch today? And all of the sudden you see something you don’t like, so you don’t eat it and then your stomach starts to growl.

In some schools some principals superintendents have made a decision to opt out of the Healthy choice foods and make there own semi-healthy foods that kids like. To reduce waste and bring back students who have opted to pack a lunch or go off campus for fast food, his districts cafeterias have installed stir-fry stations with abundant vegetables so students can have meals made to order. and he’s added spice bars so kids can even the bland. In schools some principals and administrators are starting to take action.

Have you ever wondered why, when you order a salad at the drive- thru, it cost more than a burger with fries? , and have you ever wondered why some kids don’t play outside anymore? Childhood obesity has become a worldwide epidemic, but seeing and understanding the problem is the issue. Childhood obesity is due to the pricing that is on healthy foods, poor dieting in children, and the lack of physical activities. It turns out that the road through our stomachs may run through our wallets. The prices on healthy foods such as chicken, lean beef, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are quite high.

To begin with, the taste alone of school lunches is beyond unsatisfactory. The meals provided by public schools are not appetizing. There exists a tangible disconnect between the enticing, nutritious meals advertised on the school board’s menus and what the students actually receive—pathetic portions and lukewarm meals slapped onto a tray. Children’s complaints about school lunches are often seen as trite. However, while common, they are not any less accurate.

“But her school lunch control regulations, which were passed in the name of healthy eating have been an utter failure” (Gonchar). The Healthy and Hunger- Free Kids Act was supposed to gives kids a better school lunch, yet it has failed. The ultimate result was that kids are not eating their lunches and money is being put to waste. “It’s great that schools are trying to make school lunches better, they’re not doing a very good job about it, starving kids at school isn’t exactly a way to get kid’s obesity down” (Arit John). Even though school are trying to make improvements the steps they are taking are actually worsening the situation.

Is having junk food in school really such a bad idea? Does it obtain a value that some schools lack? Junk food was provided in school, before the health program came into place, banning it from schools around the country. It was proudly served and allowed in school, and also sold for many school fundraisers. Although some people might say that junk food can be unhealthy, schools should allow, or serve, some junk food because it will make the kids want to eat school lunches more, it will bring in more money to the school, and it will give the students the calories that they need.