What’s in Your Lunch Box?
The nutritional value, or lack thereof, in school lunches has been a hot topic in the news. With many LAUSD schools welcoming fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and saying good bye to all things fatty and fried, a big question on everyone's mind is - what do the students think? Do they miss chocolate and strawberry flavored milk as anticipated when LAUSD announced its ban on those products back in April 2011? It's no small question, given that up to 80% of the 700,000 LAUSD students qualify for reduced or free meals.
A recent Huffington post article describes some New York City teachers calling for nutritional instruction to be officially included in student's core curriculum. These teachers recognize that students must have the academic, as well as experiential knowledge of nutrition and where their food comes from, in order to make informed choices. Some schools report that students, especially when directly involved in growing the fruits and vegetables, and /or helping to prepare actual school lunch meals, greatly enjoy eating the fruits of their labor, literally.
On the other hand, some schools are reporting that students are going home hungry in the afternoons, as they are refusing to finish the new meals that they dislike. A recent San Gabriel Tribune article points out that the task of satisfying LAUSD students at lunch is compounded by the fact that LAUSD is so incredibly diverse, and thus, students come to the lunch line with various food preferences. A student's geographic location can be indicative of whether or not particular items, such as hummus, or pesole, or yakitori, will be happily consumed at lunchtime, or whether they will end up in the trash can.
Some schools, motivated by these reports of hungry students, are holding tastings so that the parents can sample the meals that their children receive, and ideally, encourage them to take a "no thank you bite" at lunch. A "no thank you bite" was an unofficial rule we had in my family when I was growing up. We didn't have to eat something we disliked, but we were strongly encouraged to just try it before opting out.
The jury is still out. If your children or grandchildren have voiced an opinion on the new LAUSD menu, we would love to hear about it! Email your thoughts on the new LAUSD menu to us at literacy@jewishla.org.
blog comments powered by Disqus
