What do you think of your child's school lunch program?

[mykidsand_i]

Good old Schwan's institutional pizza

Our old school had lunches made from scratch but now it is more institutionalized. The kids bring their lunch more often than not now.

Yeah, I agree- our school tried Schwan's at the beg. of this year and no one liked it. We switched before Thanksgiving! I LOVE REAL schwan's pizza- but can't stand their 'food service' crap!

 

[RUDisney]

My kids like it but I think it's too fattening.

A couple years ago, when I became unemployed, I started to send lunch with my kids instead of having them buy it. They always liked the school meals and they always smelled delicious whenever I'd be in the school around lunchtime. They always offered a salad option and a wrap for those who didn't want the hot lunch.

When I started sending lunch, my DD lost about 10 pounds. She's never been heavy, but whatever was in the school meals was more fattening than what I was sending with her.

Now, they have even more variety in their middle school lunch program, but they still prefer to take their lunches on most days. It saves me money and saves them unnecessary calories.

 

[minkydog]

I did notice ont he menu that they label the items as a Go food, a Slow food (sometimes) and a whoa food (occasional). Both slow and whoa indicate higher fat/sugar and might be processed.

Out of 56 meal options for the month, only 7 were considered "GO" foods. Of that--it included a corn dog.

Not a very healthy lunch menu at all if they serve mostly sometimes foods all of the time.

While I can appreciate that the lunch is offered as a service. I'm a bit perplexed at how they cannot be held accountable to a better standard that isn't contradictory to the lessons being taught in school.

THe thing that makes me angry is that at my school almost 100% of our kids eat 2 of their 3 meals on-campus. They are getting faaaaarrr too much fat, sugar, carbs and empty calories at school. We can teach them about "go" foods and "whoa" foods, but if it's not being modeled how are these kids going to make the connection? I'm all for teaching nutrition at home, but a lot of our kids don't eat at home, or don't eat often. Their MAIN source of food is school! We should be doing a better job, period. I have yet to see a fresh vegetable other than the little 1/4cup spinach salad they have about once a week. Why are these kids drinking so much chocolate milk, at least twice a day at my school? Does the cafeteria manager not know that there are 28gms of carbs in those little cartons? White milk has 12! and juice has only 15! No wonder so many of our kids are already overweight.

 

[mum4jenn]

I do not allow the kids to get chocolate milk at breakfast. We have not served whole milk since 2005. Skim and 2% and 1/2 % chocolate are used at lunchtime. As I have said MANY times when ever this stupid lunch debate comes up there are MANY school systems that are doing the best they can with what is available. Every pizza we get has whole wheat crust and low fat cheese. Breadsticks are whole wheat, bread is whole wheat or whole grain, buns are whole grain, NOTHING is fried, most "ham products are Turkey ham, sausage is turkey sausage, most breakfast items are whole grain,brown rice is served, 100% juice is served, ground beef is 80/20 (much better than years ago).I could go on but if you are actually reading this you get the point.

Instead of coming here to gripe and complain (some of who have said you do not even have kids in school) contact your senators and congress reps. The schools that are following the federal lunch program ARE FOLLOWING THE RULES THAT THE GOVERNMENT SET UP!!! There are a certain number of servings per week that must contain specific vitamins, a certain number of fruit and vegetable servings, a certain number of bread servings, a certain amount of protein, etc. The foods we get from the companies must meet certain regulations for the child nutrition program or the county is NOT allowed to buy it.

How many of you have NEVER EVER bought food from Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King, Zaxbys, Ruby Tuesday, Chilis, Red Lobster, etc.? If you have eaten at any place other than your own kitchen you are being served something with hidden fats, salt, carbs, processed foods. And even in your own kitchen sometime in your life you have cooked with and served something processed...unless of course you grow your own wheat and beat it on rocks, grow all your own vegetables and use no fertilizer, have your very own dairy cow that you milk yourself, etc.

Lay off the ones who are following the rules and get the rules changed. I have parents complain about the school food and yet I see those same parents at the fast food places after school, at night, on weekends and even sending that same food in lunchboxes or bringing it with them when the parents have a day to eat with their children.

 

[tonilea]

Ouch! The OP asked for our OPINION on our local schools lunch menu. It is not a personal slight against you or your school. I understand that schools have specific guidelines, but some schools exceed those guidelines.

 

[pat fan]

when folks are saying from scratch--are you talking literally?

B/c if a box or a can was involved--that isn't scratch. There is more to scratch than avoiding the use of a microwave.

Well, for our school, scratch is scratch. Bread is made (by me) with flour, yeast, sugar, salt etc....the dough has to raise,I make it into loaves then raise it again and bake it. Scratch enough for ya? I know most people don't make bread from scratch any more, but I love to. Cinnamon rolls, biscuits and rolls too.

As I previously said, most of our chicken is "real" chicken, our stromboli is cheese & meat with our homemade dough rolled up and baked, our hot turkey meal is real turkey roasts that we cook and make gravy from scratch (drippings and water & spices thickened). You get the idea.

Just made blueberry crisp today for the kids (fresh frozen berries and scratch topping, just like you would make at home).They LOVE it, and I know it's a dessert item, but I rarely make dessert for the kids because I try and avoid the sugar blah blah blah, but once in a while I do it any way

We all use canned veggies & fruits because that is what the govt. gives us. There's no getting around the fact that we don't have budgets and need to use the food we get from them. We just try our best to make real food out of it.

 

[mum4jenn]

Well, for our school, scratch is scratch. Bread is made (by me) with flour, yeast, sugar, salt etc....the dough has to raise,I make it into loaves then raise it again and bake it. Scratch enough for ya? I know most people don't make bread from scratch any more, but I love to. Cinnamon rolls, biscuits and rolls too.

As I previously said, most of our chicken is "real" chicken, our stromboli is cheese & meat with our homemade dough rolled up and baked, our hot turkey meal is real turkey roasts that we cook and make gravy from scratch (drippings and water & spices thickened). You get the idea.

Just made blueberry crisp today for the kids (fresh frozen berries and scratch topping, just like you would make at home).They LOVE it, and I know it's a dessert item, but I rarely make dessert for the kids because I try and avoid the sugar blah blah blah, but once in a while I do it any way

We all use canned veggies & fruits because that is what the govt. gives us. There's no getting around the fact that we don't have budgets and need to use the food we get from them. We just try our best to make real food out of it.

Hey!! I have an opening at my school for a breadmaker.....do ya want to move to Georgia??????

 

[mum4jenn]

when folks are saying from scratch--are you talking literally?

B/c if a box or a can was involved--that isn't scratch. There is more to scratch than avoiding the use of a microwave.

I find it hard to imagine that ANY school in this country cooks school meals using a microwave. My school serves over 600 kids and I have never seen a microwave large enough to cook that much food!!
Our kitchen has a microwave but we use it mainly to melt margarine. Our cooking is done by using a huge tilt skillet, two Combi ovens, one convection oven, or a huge double boiler.
Our "scratch" way of cooking invloves more than just heating up a product. Yes it does involve cans but to you honestly expect a kitchen to make a batch of spaghetti by going out and picking our own tomatoes???? There is not enough room to have our own produce farm. It also would be way too expensive. We brown real 100% ground beef also.So we use canned (oooh the horror...) tomato products...(tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes....which BY THE WAY is NOT cooked....you STILL have to cook canned tomato products) We add spices and let it simmer. Maybe YOU don't see that as scratch but in OUR land it is by scratch.

 

[marcyinPA]

Well, for our school, scratch is scratch. Bread is made (by me) with flour, yeast, sugar, salt etc....the dough has to raise,I make it into loaves then raise it again and bake it. Scratch enough for ya? I know most people don't make bread from scratch any more, but I love to. Cinnamon rolls, biscuits and rolls too.

As I previously said, most of our chicken is "real" chicken, our stromboli is cheese & meat with our homemade dough rolled up and baked, our hot turkey meal is real turkey roasts that we cook and make gravy from scratch (drippings and water & spices thickened). You get the idea.

Just made blueberry crisp today for the kids (fresh frozen berries and scratch topping, just like you would make at home).They LOVE it, and I know it's a dessert item, but I rarely make dessert for the kids because I try and avoid the sugar blah blah blah, but once in a while I do it any way

We all use canned veggies & fruits because that is what the govt. gives us. There's no getting around the fact that we don't have budgets and need to use the food we get from them. We just try our best to make real food out of it.

Is this a public school or private school? Our district contracts food service out, and there is NEVER any kind of "meal' at the elementary level. They NEVER serve pasta with sauce. EVER. Once a month, or maybe once every other month, they will have turkey or pork with gravy and mashed potatoes. The meat is that processed stuff, not the real thing. Occasionally, they have mac and cheese, but my DS says it's disgusting. Other than that, it's breaded chicken and fish products, tacos, and food on a bun (hot dogs, bbq rib shaped product, hamburgers).

My DH has been working part-time security for a very pricey private school in town, and they have GREAT food. He's able to eat there when he works over lunch time. They have a chef and everything! BUT, tuition is $26K a year, and eating there is mandatory, so for that price, the food ought to be phenomenal!

 

[pat fan]

Is this a public school or private school?

Public school. We are a small school, as are the other elementary schools in our district. Our school has about 96 kids, and we serve roughly 70-ish kids a day for lunch, 20-ish for breakfast. I love my kids!

They NEVER serve pasta with sauce. EVER.

I wonder why not? We do spaghetti (mostly whole grain pasta) once a month, goulash (or chop suey, whatever you want to call it, also whole grain pasta) once a month and mac & cheese once a month (also whole grain pasta). I must say the switch to whole grain has been funny. Once when we had pasta as a side dish, a child asked me why the noodles were dirty! Hmmm....I rolled them around in the dirt, then put them in a pot for you to eat of course!!! Hee hee hee....gotta have a sense of humor when you are dealing with kids!

Hey!! I have an opening at my school for a breadmaker.....do ya want to move to Georgia??????

YES!!!! I hate New England winters!!! Virginia is my ideal, but I'm open to Georgia, you just need to find my husband a job first Setiously, those of us who try hard for our kids need to stick together and dispell that "lunch lady" personna!

 

[mykidsand_i]

I feel bad for some of these states that don't have better regulations with what the kids should be offered at their schools! I've heard some really sad things about what kids are made to eat! I feel blessed with our school system, I'm really pleased.

All I can say to those of you with crapy school lunches for your children is this...talk to your state reps. talk to the schools, send letters, call and let the people WHO MAKE THE LAWS, RULES, REGULATIONS know how ticked off you are.

I've worked in food service now for a while, subbing this year and was on the PTA 3 years before that. We as a PTA and as parents HELP to make the decisions in our state about what foods are served and what our children are eating.

There are a few people on here and a lot of people in the US that complain constantly about school food. All I have to say is, for those people with crapy school food- how do you expect it to change when you aren't doing anything about it? Your hands ARE NOT TIED...you'd be shocked at how many people have done something about the school food issues and it's been successful. Nothing will get better without parents voiceing their opinions.

 

[marcyinPA]

Public school. We are a small school, as are the other elementary schools in our district. Our school has about 96 kids, and we serve roughly 70-ish kids a day for lunch, 20-ish for breakfast. I love my kids!


!

Do you think the reason your school can provide wholesome, home cooked meals is because your enrollment is so low? I'm trying to figure out why some public schools provide great food, and others provide absolute garbage. Not to sound like a two-year old, but it's not fair! FWIW, our school is one of the smaller ones in our district, and we have just shy of 300 children. The district itself consists of something like 24 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 2 high schools.

 

[mykidsand_i]

Setiously, those of us who try hard for our kids need to stick together and dispell that "lunch lady" personna!

That's right! I get so sick of the idea that the 'lunch lady' is a bad person. All of the ones that work at my daughters school are wonderful! They are interested in making the kids days better. that means a lot!

I have a funny story. The week after Christmas break, I was subbing as a lunch server at our elem. school. The kindergarteners were coming through the line and the school art teacher was with them.

One little girl said "Boy, i'm sure happy to be back to school"...the art teacher said "why is that, did you miss your teacher?" and the little girl said "no, I missed the lunch ladies here because they give me the food the way I like it."

We all got a good laugh out of that. It made us feel really good about the work we do at the school!

 

[mykidsand_i]

I'm trying to figure out why some public schools provide great food, and others provide absolute garbage. Not to sound like a two-year old, but it's not fair! .

Most of it has to do with what the state regulations are...the state/school boards set the 'minimal food service' regulations. Some states/districts have less money than others, some just have HORRIBLE representitives that focus on funding getting put elsewhere and they lack in the school lunch program department. It doesn't matter how little money the lunch program gets, every kid should have the right to healthy, wholesome lunches. It's up to the parents to speak their minds and get in touch with their state reps. and the school board.

In most states and school districts, you'd be shocked to hear how small of a % of parents have EVER been to a school board meeting. Nothing will change if they don't think it needs to.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Both of my children's school lunches are outsourced to companies within our area and the meals are not "healthy". I just found out that our public school is even going to be outsourced to one of these companies. Nothing is made in the school anymore. I feel guilty on the nights I am not feeling well and ask the kids to buy. They actually look pitiful. Thankfully it only happens once in a blue moon.

I pack lunches. They have sandwich thins (100 calories) with low fat lunch meat (turkey and a low fat salami) every single day. They get a 100% juice box and a water. They get a serving of fruit and veggies also each day. Then they choose a sweet or salty snack. Just the other day DD came home from school and announced, I am 17 a senior and yes my mother still makes my lunch, and everyone is still jealous. (It was her way to say thanks to me).

 

[marcyinPA]

Most of it has to do with what the state regulations are...the state/school boards set the 'minimal food service' regulations. Some states/districts have less money than others, some just have HORRIBLE representitives that focus on funding getting put elsewhere and they lack in the school lunch program department. It doesn't matter how little money the lunch program gets, every kid should have the right to healthy, wholesome lunches. It's up to the parents to speak their minds and get in touch with their state reps. and the school board.

In most states and school districts, you'd be shocked to hear how small of a % of parents have EVER been to a school board meeting. Nothing will change if they don't think it needs to.

Our school district made some horrible financial decisions and when the economy went bad, the district took a beating. They are broke. BROKE. I'm sure this has something to do with the lunch program. Funny thing is that it does get better in middle school, and even better in high school. At least in both situations, they offer a salad bar daily, and made to order sandwiches. Those choices are way healthier than a corn dog!

 

[PaulaSue]

NOT at all and neither are my girls. They rarely buy and I don't blame them. I have been in a few times and the food is not my style. Too much fried and not look like food to me.

PLUS they offer Pizza every day of the week. One week french and the other week plain. Also if giving mashed pot they HAVE to put gravey on it and my girls dont eat and they will even serve pot with gravey with pizza. YUCk they amount of food wasted makes me sick.

 

[pat fan]

Do you think the reason your school can provide wholesome, home cooked meals is because your enrollment is so low? I'm trying to figure out why some public schools provide great food, and others provide absolute garbage.

Part of it is knowledge. As a district you have a choice regarding the food you get from the government. You can do what they call "diversion" where they take whatever % you specify and "change" it and send you the changed product.

Example: I do not divert my chicken so I get the regular pieces of chicken, breasts, legs, thighs. If you divert your chicken you get nuggets & patties. And it is CHEAPER to get the "real" chicken!! I am in a unique situation where my school opted out of the K-12 district so I am on my own in a lot of ways. The other schools here all divert, so when they have nuggets I have chicken. Same goes for beef. I get hamburger, they get formed teriyaki steaks or whatever. Now those steaks are tasty, but I can't say how "good" they are for you.

I also think it is probably cheaper to outsource meals and get those paper trays covered with clear plastic that you just heat up. A company came a few years ago to try and get us to do that and the sample were nasty!!! Everything is frozen and you are supposed to put it on racks that you roll into special ovens (big microwaves really) and serve. YUCK!

I am actually getting a bit unhappy. This year they hired a Food Service Manager to "improve" our lunches and she has taken control of my menu as of 2010 and she is putting stuff I do NOT like on my menu. I'm fighting all I can, but she's the boss, so hopefully my food doesn't backslide into what everyone else on here hates!!!

 

[mum4jenn]

Do you think the reason your school can provide wholesome, home cooked meals is because your enrollment is so low? I'm trying to figure out why some public schools provide great food, and others provide absolute garbage. Not to sound like a two-year old, but it's not fair! FWIW, our school is one of the smaller ones in our district, and we have just shy of 300 children. The district itself consists of something like 24 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 2 high schools.

My school has an enrollment of 700 kids and around 600 eat lunch everyday and around 250 eat breakfast. It is not because of the size of the school because we also serve "home cooked" style food. Our Middle school has an enrollment of 1600 kids and they have 3-4 serving lines every single day. They have a salad bar, a sandwich line, a hot line, and they also can get a yogurt tray that has yogurt, fruit, chips,ham or turkey,and milk.

We have pizza once a month. Yes we do still have hamburgers and hotdogs but if we did not the kids would have a fit.!! They have a cookie twice a month and fries(baked) about 3 times a month . We also serve things like Vegetable Soup,Turkey roast, pork roast, (the real stuff because I have to get it started cooking at 6:30 am.) Oven baked chicken (real chicken too). Spaghetti (homemade),hamburger steak,chicken and noodles, chili, macaroni and cheese that WE make and I have witnessed kids licking their plates because they love our macaroni and cheese so much and many other things.

ALso in every system I have ever heard of the Food Service department is a completely different section of the school system and gets NO money from the rest of the school system. They are a self sustaining department and have the ability to make money or lose money.

 

[pat fan]

ALso in every system I have ever heard of the Food Service department is a completely different section of the school system and gets NO money from the rest of the school system. They are a self sustaining department and have the ability to make money or lose money.

True.

And how do you buy the food, pay for the gas, the salaries, the substitutes & sick time and repairs on $1.75 a lunch????? You can't. Or at least I can't. It's why I'm in the red and now we have a District Manager to "save" us money. Yeah, by cutting hours and trying to put crap on the menu 'cause it's quicker.