Does School Lunch Pass the Test?

“Yuck! Don’t eat that! There’s something crawling out of it.” We have all heard the rumors about school lunch. The negative perspective of school lunch has endured for years, but is there more to it than we know?

School lunch is provided by the Federal Government and is supplied to twenty six million students. Recent studies show that school lunch is not adhering to the nutritional guidelines issued by the US Department of Agriculture. The lunches contain high cholesterol, fat, and sodium. Currently, a major problem concerning schools is keeping the calorie intake high and the fat intake low. However, not all students need a low cholesterol diet. For some students school lunch is the only nutritious meal they receive. A researcher at Paradise Valley Unified School District in Arizona, determined that preschoolers require 517 calories at lunch while high school seniors require at least 785 calories. If this is true then why are both groups being served the same amount of food? In a survey taken from thirty students at Thomas Edison High School, seventy percent of the students say the amount of food served is inadequate. One student said, “Eating school lunch is like having a midday snack. I’m still hungry, but I don’t think it’s worth another dollar.” These students feel that they should be served more food.

At Edison students have the daily choice of protein, bread, vegetable, fruit, and milk. Students are required, but not limited to take three out of the five available items. Edison students have the advantage of choosing between four to six choices of main courses, which is followed by a salad bar. Ms. Cruz, the lunch coordinator at Edison, feels that there is a wide range of variety in main courses, the salad bar, and the different choices of milk. An average of 750 students eat school lunch on a daily basis. The school menu is issued by the District Office. Lunch orders are placed two months in advance according to the lunch menu provided by the District. The meat items are delivered once a week along with the vegetables and paper goods.

School lunch at Edison is prepared by its well-trained staff. It usually requires one hour of preparation. The food is kept at a stable temperature of 140 degrees and the cold lunch is kept at 45 degrees or below. This prevents contamination or bacterial growth. If the temperature of lunch were to decrease to 135 degrees, it would be placed in the oven and re-cooked until proper temperature is achieved. After the lunch is prepared, they are placed in warmers. The staff starts their day at 6:30AM and ends it at 3:00PM. Have you ever wondered what becomes of the leftover lunches? Contrary to popular belief, the food is not re-served the following day. The extra lunch is either given away to students in the seventh lunch period or it is discarded. Edison recycles regularly and there is a separate dumpster for food. Sanitary precautions are taken before and after the food is prepared. The staff works very hard to ensure that a sterile environment is maintained. All equipment is cleaned with bleach before and after lunch. The school is inspected three times a year for health hazards and rodent infestation. Edison is reputable for passing all health inspections. The Department of Health inspects the schools once a year and HACCP inspects the schools twice a year. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with school lunch; even the staff eats it,” said Ms. Cruz. If lunch is so bad, why does the staff eat it? According to Ms. Cruz, the only real problem with school lunch is the students who eat it. She feels the only things that need improvement are the students’ behavior and the way they clean up the lunchroom when they are finished eating.

The USDA planned to conduct a survey this year to see how well schools are complying with the low fat and cholesterol guidelines. Research has shown that there is a rapid rise in childhood obesity and heart disease later in adulthood. School lunch has been a primary factor in this research. Some examples are the high oil content in pizza, French fries, and chicken nuggets. One student said, “I tried squeezing the oil out of a chicken nugget and it squirted in my friend’s eye.” In the survey, ninety percent of the students felt there was not enough variety in school lunch. They proposed that there should be a new menu with larger portions of food and different choices. If the school provides so much variety in the lunches, then why are the students unsatisfied? In addition to the survey, eighty-seven percent of the students concluded that the food was unhealthy. So what is the real “dish” on school lunch? Only you can decide!