by Ben Miller
School cafeteria lunches catch a lot of flak from policymakers and those interested in food policy. And rightfully so. Low per-meal subsidies and a lack of on-site kitchens means most schools are generally stuck serving lunches that consist of little more than reheated unhealthy entrees and side dishes that make food sold at hot dog stands look like gourmet cuisine.
But criticizing these meals is one thing, eating them every day is an entirely different level of commitment. And that’s why I highly recommend checking out Fed Up: School Lunch Project, a blog written by an anonymous Illinois teacher known as Mrs. Q. Every school day Mrs. Q is going to eat the $3 lunch her school offers, posts pictures of the meal, and offer comments.
So far, the results aren’t pretty, as the picture to the left can attest. (For the record that is “Salisbury” steak, bread, corn, milk, and pineapple chunks.)
And the nutritional value of the offerings is not much better. So far Mrs. Q has eaten pizza twice, a hot dog, chicken patty, hamburger, and a bagel dog. Her favorite so far appears to be the “Tex-Mex” lunch, which consisted of “taco-style” meat over rice with beans.
Anyway, for anyone who is interested in seeing more about what students actually have to eat off that Styrofoam tray each day, I highly recommend checking out Fed Up: http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/
[h/t: Liz at San Francisco, For the Win]
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Thanks for the mention. It’s a very complex issue.
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I’m not sure if this is the right place o complain but here goes…There has been a lot of talk about kids becoming overweight due to school lunches. I want to know where these children go to school. The lunches severed at my child’s school are not healthy, nutricious or filling. The milk is usually warm, the food is bland and undercooked…and just 30 minutes my child was sent home from school vomiting from the breakfast. Several children got sick today because they were fed molded cereal. There is no use in them trying to complain to the lunch aides because they are not listened to. who will address this issue or does someone hve to get seriously ill first