Are there existing groups advocating for change in school-provided food for FCPS?

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure we can all agree that the quality of food that FCPS serves our kids is atrocious. Yes, it's free to students, and that's important, but why does it have to be so bad? Bad in nutrition, bad in quality, and even bad in that it is all heated up in plastic!

Though it was not great pre-covid, it sadly has taken a steep decline even from that low starting point. No fresh food is offered where many schools used to have a salad bar.

I would love to see the school board take action on this and hope that at a minimum it's something that someone runs on the next school board election. We need to update the infrastructure in schools to have real kitchens and contract with local farms. This can be done. It would be a hard transition at first, but other places in the US have done it and I think it should be prioritized.

Beyond writing to my school board member, does anyone have other ideas about how to get some action on this?

[Anonymous]

It's become pretty clear that COVID isn't spread via fomites. They really should be reinstating the salad bars.

[Anonymous]

The options were better before COVID, I have no idea if the food was better. I do know that many schools had a salad bar that kids could access as well as the food on the menu. I am hoping that they drop free breakfast and lunch for everyone next year and bring back the old menu and salad bars. I know that there are some families that receive the free or reduced lunches that will be hurt by the change but I think they had better options and quality when the kids who were able to pay, paid.

[Anonymous]

Agree with this post. The food has become atrocious.

Lot of days my kids just pretzel or PB&J sandwich.

[Anonymous]

It will not be free next year.

[Anonymous]

Agree that real food is preferable to the quasi-junk food currently served. However, that would involve hiring actual cooks, not just people to unwrap or reheat processed food. I just don’t have high hopes that’s anything will change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that real food is preferable to the quasi-junk food currently served. However, that would involve hiring actual cooks, not just people to unwrap or reheat processed food. I just don’t have high hopes that’s anything will change.

It's a huge shift. They would need to upgrade kitchens and hire a staff that could actually cook and pay an actual wage. But I think it's time. They've done it a few other places in the U.S.

[Anonymous]

It is terrible right now and was at least better before Covid. There was also room for improvement pre-Covid. Would love yo see improvements so kids who depend on school for food actually get good food and to mitigate any divide or stigma where the school lunch is good enough for the poors but too substandard for the Larlas who pack lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will not be free next year.

+1

[Anonymous]

This year is a loss. Since it will not be free for all next year I am hoping it reverts to pre Covid levels. Those were not awful.

[Anonymous]

They’re having a lot of supply chain issues. There are multiple school boards members working on this. Melanie Meren jumps to mind. There are also established groups who focus on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They’re having a lot of supply chain issues. There are multiple school boards members working on this. Melanie Meren jumps to mind. There are also established groups who focus on this.

Which ones?

It seems like this should be doable. No need to reinvent the wheel, just copy what the good districts are doing in this regard (Appleton, Wis., comes to mind, but I lived in Arizona ages ago and the Scottsdale schools had much better food than we do now).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re having a lot of supply chain issues. There are multiple school boards members working on this. Melanie Meren jumps to mind. There are also established groups who focus on this.

Which ones?

It seems like this should be doable. No need to reinvent the wheel, just copy what the good districts are doing in this regard (Appleton, Wis., comes to mind, but I lived in Arizona ages ago and the Scottsdale schools had much better food than we do now).

https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/food-supply-chain-issues-hitting-school-cafeterias

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re having a lot of supply chain issues. There are multiple school boards members working on this. Melanie Meren jumps to mind. There are also established groups who focus on this.

Which ones?

It seems like this should be doable. No need to reinvent the wheel, just copy what the good districts are doing in this regard (Appleton, Wis., comes to mind, but I lived in Arizona ages ago and the Scottsdale schools had much better food than we do now).

You cannot compare "ages ago" and today.

[Anonymous]

How are they supposed to pay hundreds of thousands to consultants for the same work they have salaried staff to perform?

How are they supposed to pay tens of thousands to the next trendy activist if they use the money on frivolous nonsense like nutritious food for children?