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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?

Honestly, you won’t get anywhere. The school will not provide in house cooked meals. They think that high fructose corn syrup, caramel coloring and artificial flavors and preservatives are all OK and nutritious for kids. I pack my kids lunch and they are forbidden to get lunch at school. Only in emergencies such as mix up lunch with sibling or forgotten lunch. American food is just disgusting. Yuck

This is the FCPS Forum. None of that is in lunches here. You missed the left at Albuquerque.

OMG, you’re so stupid, just check all the ingredients of FCPS lunch options and you will see. Carrageen in milk, high fructose corn syrup in baked beans and all sorts of preservatives in their baked chicken on bun, grilled cheese sandwich (that comes prepacked) and other nasty “food items”. I won’t even comment on the breakfast options…just no. Middle and high school have even worst options, it’s pretty much fast food every day. You are clueless, educate yourselves before posting. All the school food is so processed, it’s unbelievable. A few carrots on the side won’t save it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be nice if they let the PTAs at each school help organize the lunch options. Our pta has some caterers who would gladly donate at cost.

That's very school specific and definitely not the norm. Check your priviledge.

I don't see Title 1 schools or MS and HS (who typically don't have a fervent PTA) doing this.

Why not , if it's important to them they can. If not then don't, that's America.

and in America is you want great meals provided by a school, you shell out for your kid to attend private school or you move to a minuscule school district wealthy enough to treat its schools like privates

[Anonymous]

I looked at the realfoodforkids.org website and it looks like they understandably pivoted to supplying food for kids at home during virtual school. I don't see in their plans much about changing cafeteria options in FCPS. I'm looking for day in and day out change in what is offered on our FCPS menus.

[Anonymous]

I assume it is all money and the big companies lobby for standards they can profit on, then just barely meet standards with over-processed food to turn a profit. It is just a shame, there are places that consider illustrating healthy, nutritious diets by modelling that where children learn so many other things a priority. It is insane to me how my kid can go straight from a lesson on healthy diet to their cafeteria for “baked cheese sticks” with lowfat chocolate milk, corn and canned fruit. Seriously look at the photo of those “baked cheese sticks”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I assume it is all money and the big companies lobby for standards they can profit on, then just barely meet standards with over-processed food to turn a profit. It is just a shame, there are places that consider illustrating healthy, nutritious diets by modelling that where children learn so many other things a priority. It is insane to me how my kid can go straight from a lesson on healthy diet to their cafeteria for “baked cheese sticks” with lowfat chocolate milk, corn and canned fruit. Seriously look at the photo of those “baked cheese sticks”.

Is the USDA setting standards and then setting quality expectations through their reimbursement rates. The rate is $3.51 for free meals, and $3.11 for reduced price meals. Good luck getting anything anyone on this thread would consider quality for those prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not in FCPS, but my kid does go to a school with a majority of students from families with low income in a district where 85% of families are low income. The ingredients are supplied by Aramark but there is a real cook and assistant in the kitchen and meals are made in house. Next week it looks like they are having a pasta bake, roast bbq chicken, chicken noodle soup, tacos, pizza (and vegetarian options). It's great and it is possible. My formerly super picky kid eats the meals and says they are good or at least okay and that most of the kids eat the food. I like it that they get a hardy hot meal. I've been in schools where lunch is one of those prepackaged peanutbutter and jelly on graham cracker sandwiches, prepackaged apple slices, and frozen juice and that is just sad.

The word you want there is “hearty.”

And I agree. Children should be better fed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in FCPS, but my kid does go to a school with a majority of students from families with low income in a district where 85% of families are low income. The ingredients are supplied by Aramark but there is a real cook and assistant in the kitchen and meals are made in house. Next week it looks like they are having a pasta bake, roast bbq chicken, chicken noodle soup, tacos, pizza (and vegetarian options). It's great and it is possible. My formerly super picky kid eats the meals and says they are good or at least okay and that most of the kids eat the food. I like it that they get a hardy* hot meal. I've been in schools where lunch is one of those prepackaged peanutbutter and jelly on graham cracker sandwiches, prepackaged apple slices, and frozen juice and that is just sad.

*hearty, I knew that didn't look right

Ha I spoke (typed) too soon. You may now have a go at me for beginning a sentence with a conjunction in my previous post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be nice if they let the PTAs at each school help organize the lunch options. Our pta has some caterers who would gladly donate at cost.

Every day? I doubt that.

And would these caterers be willing to jump through all the state and federal expectations surrounding food nutrition and preparation that a large public school system must deal with?

Exactly.

If you depend on the government to feed your children count on the government to feed them crap.

Fresh food is for private school kids and children whose parents pay to send them to school with better.