Did Anyone's School Lunch Program Change This Year?

I don't think they should have any control. There is no need for more medeling. Parents should choose what they feed their children. I believe everything in moderation is better than making something more desirable by restriction.

Government should stay out of the lunchrooms. Let the schools decide. I really wonder how much ofnthisnhealthy food is being thrown out? I think 99% of parents know what healthy foods mean.

Absolutely no government involvement! I also would love to see the Free and Reduced Lunch Program greatly modified. We live in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. My son is in public elementary school and we have already received the form for free and reduced lunch home three times (school has been in session for 8 days now.) The form for free and reduced lunch does not require any PROOF of your "low" income. There is no verification at all! Many parents (they brag about it) either record one income or just plain out lie. Those who are doing this don't do it for the food - they are doing it because of all the other benefits - if you are on free and reduced lunch you also get a very cheap computer, subsidized home internet, subsidized after-care and summer camps and subsidized sports programs for your kids.

We already have food stamps and WIC - this is just another program covering the same need. Now the federal government is considering including dinner in the free and reduced program for those in after-care programs! Really, so now these children never eat with their families and we the tax payers get to pay for this also!!! I think we should just have the food stamp program (and work on eliminating the fraud involved in this one) and eliminate the rest!

Oh, and I am 40 and a product of public school. I learned how to eat healthy in public schools - but I chose to eat how I chose to eat and don't appreciate any govt interference. Don't spend money teaching adults how to eat - they will do what they chose to do. If I want a pop-tart for breakfast, it is my $$, my choice, and my waistline later!!! We don't need to be spending any more federal (once again, my tax dollars!!) on teaching adults or children how to eat healthy. This has been taught in health classes in school for at least 40 years!!!

C.

Yes and I am ROYALLY pi$$ed off about it. And you know what-if it were a republican mandate you would have every advocacy group known to man out there screaming about the waste of food. I was in my kid's caf all week and you would not believe all of the food being thrown out. The garbage was full of whole pieces of fruit, little containers of carrots, peaches etc. Our school requires kids to take a protein, grain and fruit or veg no matter if they like it or not. And you know what....most kids do NOT like peas with carrots or pears in juice. So in the trash it goes. I would love to see a national uproar on this-it is completely unconscionable to waste food on this magnitude. All in the name of anti obesity???? Really-first of all in my district there 'might' be 10 obese kids in the whole fourth grade. Perhaps take this program into the schools where the kids do trend overweight and are not being taught how to eat at home. But for GODS SAKES just leave the schools who already have it right alone already.

Lastly-for all of you parents who don't have a problem with this.....answer this please- Are you really ok with wasting this much food on a daily basis? Cause that's what is happening. If you don't believe me go and visit your children at lunch.

I think everyone's lunch programs changed do to new regulations. Yes, they are required to get a fruit or veggie every day. And yes, they still count potatoes as a veggie.

I don't have a problem with the regulations. Parents here have tried advocating to our local school board to get healthier items on the menu, and are ignored. It seems that they will only do it when forced by law, unfortunately.

People will say that the government should stay out of it, and if parents don't like what is offered, then they should pack their kids' lunches. But there are parents who can't afford this - those who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. These are the kids that need the government regulations to force school to provide a healthier lunch.

I believe our school always followed what are now the current guidelines, but I wanted to sound off that in the past the government's guidelines stated something like lunch should be 30% of the student's daily fat allowance (or something like that). Their rationalization was that this might be the only meal some of these children eat all day. But I always felt holy cow, what about the kids who eat three square meals a day?

If you really want to get me started than let's talk about them selling ice cream and "snacks" to accompany the lunches. While they are add-ons that you have to pay for what kid is NOT going to want them when they are so readily available?

So if the government is going to step in than I think they ought to shut down the snack/ice cream loophole/cash cow.

Here's my take on it all... I just wish parents/caregivers in general would educate themselves as to what's a healthy choice. These days, it's not like the information isn't out there ... Also, "most" people have access to the internet, gone are the days of having to actually go to a library and or pick up a book in order to obtain info.... Which leads me to.. Government should butt out and let parents , parent their kids... some might say, well some parents don't make good choices ... Problem is, you simply can't police everyone when it comes to eating... If you do that, then as you say, are tater tots considered healthy, I would say NO............ however, a regular potato that hasn't been all doctored up is a good choice.. I simply feel that government is in ca-hoots with the unions who bring the good into the school..... this isn't about healthy choices, this is about government paying off their union buddies..

Truly, I don't need government telling me how to feed my child. I would also add that when our own president has a smoking habit (which the media doesn't talk about) and is also someone who loves his burgers... hey... why start eating better at the white house and for now... butt out of schools...

Hi, S.:
Let me share with you
The Role of Government in Economics: The Founding Fathers agreed with Adam Smith that the greatest threat to economic prosperity is the arbitrary intervention of the government into the economic affairs of private business and the buying public. Historically, this has usually involved fixing prices fixing wages, controlling production, controlling distribution, granting monopolies, or subsidizing certain porducts. Nevertheless, there are four areas of legitimate responsibility which properly belong to government. These involve:
1. Illegal Force in the market place to compel purchase or sale of products.
2. Fraud in misrepresenting the quality, location, or ownership of the item being sold or bought.
3. Monopoly which eliminates competition and results in restraint of trade.
4. Debauchery of the cultural standards and moral fiber of society by commerical exploitation of vice--pornography, obscenity, drugs, liquor, prostitution, or commecial gambling.

Hopes this helps you define the role of our government in our lives.
Don't forget Constitution day on September 17th, 2012.
Good luck.
D.

There's no good answer to the ongoing school lunch problem.
Yes, I think there should be guidelines, because many low income children depend on that lunch to get them through the day. It should be something healthy and substantial.
On the other hand, a lot of food gets thrown away. Even a hungry (not starving) child will often refuse to eat their veges and fruit, so a LOT of food goes to waste. Several years of working in my kids' lunch room has shown me that first hand.
The middle school here DID come up with a fairly good system. The kids must be offered a choice of a fruit or vegetable, but they are not required to take it, so there is less waste. I think that's a win win.
I don't know why people get so up in arms about the government trying to set health guidelines. I mean, if it wasn't for government regulations cigarette companies would still be claiming that nicotine is good for your nerves and digestion!

Well, it depends on what government you are talking about. The Feds? Well, I do sortof appreciate that the food must meet some sort of FDA requirements for safety. But outside of that... the Feds should have NO place in it at all.
Local government? Perhaps the school board. Which the parents can complain to directly, and vote OUT if they don't like what is going on.

Let's face it. SOMEbody has to make decisions about what is served in the school cafeteria. If you totally take out "government", then who is making those decisions? You don't HAVE to have your child buy the school lunch, they can bring their own. And if you don't like what is being offered there, that is what I suggest you do. But again, there has to be a menu being served for you to decide against it. So SOMEbody has to come up with that menu, and that is going to involved some government run agency somewhere. So let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
But it shouldn't be dictated by some federal mandate. It should be decided locally. Just like a lot of stuff the feds have gotten involved in that they shouldn't have their fingers in the pie of to begin with.

Yes, there is a lot of waste. And the fruit they typically have? I would never eat it. It is gross. And yes, we get those same reduced lunch forms every year, too. Multiple times. What really P*$$@$ me off about those, though, is that some of the teachers present them to the students as a REQUIREMENT to turn them in. I flat out told my kids this year, that we weren't doing the form. (We don't qualify and have NEVER qualified, not even close). BUT they STILL want the forms even if you don't qualify and you know it. Sorry. Unh unh. This was another instance when we had a discussion with our kids about reduced and "free" lunch or breakfast at school.

As a side vent, I ended up having to take my 11 yr old to get her 2nd chicken pox vaccine to the Health Dept. Our regular doctor is a family practice specializing in allergies, and doesn't do routine childhood vaccines (not many babies in his practice!). Not a big deal, except no other doctor wants to do them either if you aren't a regular patient. No biggie, everyone said just go to the health dept. Okaaaaaaaaay. We go. The woman started asking me about our family income. I said, "Is that really necessary to give? Our insurance covers the immunization in full." She said she is required to ask. So I said, "Can I just decline to answer? Is that the appropriate wording? If so, then I decline to give it." She got really snippy and downright rude to me, got up and made a point of ignoring me at the window for the next 5 minutes (not another soul in sight anywhere). Then made a big deal that they ONLY file insurance if it is the LOCAL BC/BS plan for county employees!
(whatever... sounds dumb to me, but whatever lady, just get us to the nurse so my kid can get her shot and fill out her form to admit into 6th grade). But she was SO annoyed that I didn't give her our financials. Sad, when a person is paying full boat and they are rude because they can't file for a bunch of government money. :/

My son just started kindergarten, but they outlined the food changes. You have to take a certain number of portions for the meal to be considered "reimbursable." We don't qualify for the free/reduced lunch, so you would think that he could get a la carte portions. Nope. The only thing he can get a la carte is milk. Otherwise he has to buy a full meal, regardless of if he will eat it. It's really starting to irritate me because I send a lunch every day, but he'll see a side he wants, like mac and cheese, and will have to get a full meal. So either the food I packed goes to waste or the cafeteria food goes to waste. Grrrr......

I don't mind the school offering a choice of fruit, veggie, grain, etc, but requiring them to take it is causing a lot of waste. So I guess I am somewhere in between.

I think they need to stay out of it. I personally don't want the gov't in every aspect of our lives. This is supposed to be a democracy not a dictatorship.

My son's school lunch also changed. He's in grade school and they only get one choice and there's nothing al acarte. Everything they serve is whole grain, the only meat they have is turkey burger or baked chicken. And they also have a salad served with their lunch everyday. There is a note at the bottom of the menu that said they would no longer be serving any type of pork (not sure why). I made a comment to my oldest about (she's 17) and she said Michelle Obama is responsible because created some type of healthy lunch bill or something like that.
Like you, I think it's great that they're making healthier lunches but none of it sounded very good or appealing especially to a child. So, now we have started packing lunches as well. It's not that I'm not into healthy eating but I would rather pack him a healthy lunch that I know he will eat than to think about him being hungry all day because he doesn't like what was served at school.

My son's high school lunch program has changed this year. They finally have one! Up til now, kids had to bring a lunch or go to Dairy Queen. I doubt many of them ordered a healthy meal there.

I'm glad they are creating incentives for kids to eat healthier. Nobody is forcing you to buy the school lunch. If you don't like the program, bring your sack lunch to school. But considering that I used my lunch money for a giant peanut butter cookie and chocolate milkshake every day, I'd rather my kid's options be a little healthier.

Frankly, with little kids I think offering limited choices (this or that) is a good thing. I do that with choices for DD. Does she want juice or milk? Salad or fruit? Turkey or ham? As they get older, they might just buy ice cream, but I think they should have more control. By the time my sks were in HS, we didn't even look at what they packed for themselves (sometimes very strange food). I plan to pack for DD because I still don't like the options given. She loves tater tots but would eat nothing but even if she had a full tray of other food. You could ask the school their motivation and make suggestions to the district about it.

I just glanced at the lunch menu for our district for little kids. Lots of "kid menu" foods like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza. But they offer red pepper slices and hummus some days. Interesting. And the HS menu has a lot of things like burgers and fries, but they also offer veggie burgers and salads. My sks thought it took too long to get through the line, so that was half the reason they didn't buy.

There are so many sources of info already that I'm not sure it's a best use of funds to educate parents more. Just include healthy eating and healthy moving in pre-existing school programs for kids. Ask doctors to discuss nutrition with parents (our pediatrician asks what DD eats, and we discussed whether or not my non-milk-drinker gets enough calcium). I will likely pack lunch for DD because that's what we do here. But she might buy on occasions as a treat.

Our school is like this, with the exception that I don't see fries or tater tots anywhere on the menu. I personally do not like it. It is a lot of wasted food. My son will eat the fruit but throws the veggies away. My daughter now refuses to buy lunch because she doesn't want to have to choose a fruit or veggie that she will not eat and then be made to feel guilty for wasting the food. She is a picky eater and I loved that she used to buy lunch because she would try some foods she wouldn't normally try at home. I also don't like that if they choose water it is considered a la carte because they didn't choose milk. Water is a healthy choice, but not allowed for the bundled price. I think Government should stop trying to mandate how our kids eat and they should put the money instead into making better food.

After the comment about no pork, I had to go get our lunch menu and check! Well, there is a bbq, that might be port, and a ham wrap - each once a month. Yet bosco and sauce is an entree? Soft pretzel stick w/protein packed cheese sauce an entree? Based on the menu, there are weeks during the month that she wants to take her lunch at least 3 days.

My kids' lunch changed last year. From what they tell me, it is inedible. Yesterday they had to "heat up" more lunches. It was mac and cheese and some type of side veggie. It got mixed together and looked nasty. One of my girls ate some of it anyway and got a stomach ache. Last year they were always starving when they got home from school and complained about the lunch. They asked the office and were told that the bid was taken by the board and they cannot change the lunch. Sorry, but I thought mac and cheese was supposed to be white or orange or a combo of these colors. They told me it was grayish. I would prefer they were able to eat tater tots that inedible foods that make them starve all day til they get home. My kids are in middle school