How does this country serve worse than dog food to children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t expect any better. It’s not a social priority. It’s like the healthcare crisis—most with political power have the economic power to avoid the problem. Rich people don’t wait 6 months to see a specialist, and their kids don’t eat public school gruel for lunch ( they pack a lunch or attend private school that serves better food). So the problem remains.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of you saying it's too expensive- you should see the lovely meals my preschoolers eat in preschool compared to the dog food given to my elementary schooler. And all the preschoolers eat it and enjoy it.

Obviously the preschoolers meals are mass produced, but can you imagine the outrage if my 2 year old was served a honey bun? I think the 2 year old teachers would have a heart attack if they had to put up with the behavior of 2 year olds who all ate a honey bun. They'd be bouncing off the walls. My 2nd grader routinely eats honey buns for breakfast, donuts, etc. In our school everyone gets a free lunch, so everyone is served "breakfast" as they walk through the door in the morning. Even the juice has got to go. My preschoolers are never served juice or chocolate milk. They get milk or water, just like parents serve at home.

+1
Breakfast is the worst. Why don’t they just serve cheerios and white milk??

Yes. Our school serves breakfast too. Some things I’ve seen: packaged chocolate chip mini muffins, coco puffs, Lucky Charms cereal bars, pop tarts, and chocolate milk of course. If they can’t manage to pass out anything nutritious, then just have white milk available. No one is starving, in fact those that are economically disadvantaged are the most likely to be overweight. The last thing they need is chocolate milk and a pop tart

+1 if they are going to serve anything (and I understand it is hard to come up with a “sack breakfast”- I agree with the person who said plain cheerios and white milk. Add a banana or an orange. Why on earth the chocolate milk and pop tart route? That is the last thing they need ffs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in Fairfax at an ES and the lunches don’t look anywhere near what those pictures show. The salad bar is good (I’ve eaten it) and the vegetables I’ve seen the food service workers chopping look fresh. The hot foods are better than they used to be.

I'm an FCPS parent and the salad bars widely vary in quality. Some of the vegetables look fresh and my kids love them. Sometimes it's literal corn and beans out of a can that's fairly nasty looking.

What’s wrong with corn and beans out of a can?

Canned corn tastes tinny and gross. Beans can be OK, but do you know anyone who likes plain kidney beans (which is what I've seen there when volunteering)?

Are we really calling beans and corn that taste “tinny” (I love canned corn btw) the equivalent of dog food?

No, just saying it's not the same as the fresh vegetables the service workers are chopping. OP was the one who said worse than dog food. I am not OP.

[Anonymous]

It will cost more but worth it to have real kitchens in schools or a central kitchen like in japan and korea. But with ES schools with 600 kids its very challenging to serve anything but pre made food. But that food could be better. But also in those countries noone brings any food and everyone eats school lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools serve trash food because that is what most Americans eat. My kids go to a title one school where everyone gets free lunch. The fruits and vegetables are taken (because they have to) and are thrown away or thrown around the lunch room. The only milk that is taken is chocolate or the strawberry, no one drinks the white milk.

Honestly schools waste SO much money and food on school lunch and do such a poor job. They should end not lunch. It’s just packaged reheated crap.

Parents should be the ones responsible to fed their children. Just pack their lunch. Schools should offer free white milk, sandwiches (whole wheat bread PB/sunbutter or cold cuts/cheese), and whole fruit (bananas, apples, oranges). That’s it. No one would be hungry, there is something nutritious for everyone, and way less food and money waste

I agree with this. Given the current state of things (budget, logistics, lack of facilities etc) this would be preferable, realistic, and make a lot more sense. Milk, sandwich and fruit is just fine for lunch.

[Anonymous]

^This is stupid. Nourishing meals do not have to cost more. These kids are accustomed to junk food, and if they don't get it in the cafeteria line they'll skip the cafeteria food and head for the vending machines.

It’s the personnel to make the meals that costs more. Cafeterias run on a skeleton crew.

[Anonymous]

Maplewood South Orange (NJ) public schools serve decent food—all home-cooked in the schools’ cafeterias. Their food service instagram is wildly popular.

But most school districts are penny pinchers and no longer do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of you saying it's too expensive- you should see the lovely meals my preschoolers eat in preschool compared to the dog food given to my elementary schooler. And all the preschoolers eat it and enjoy it.

Obviously the preschoolers meals are mass produced, but can you imagine the outrage if my 2 year old was served a honey bun? I think the 2 year old teachers would have a heart attack if they had to put up with the behavior of 2 year olds who all ate a honey bun. They'd be bouncing off the walls. My 2nd grader routinely eats honey buns for breakfast, donuts, etc. In our school everyone gets a free lunch, so everyone is served "breakfast" as they walk through the door in the morning. Even the juice has got to go. My preschoolers are never served juice or chocolate milk. They get milk or water, just like parents serve at home.

+1
Breakfast is the worst. Why don’t they just serve cheerios and white milk??

Yes. Our school serves breakfast too. Some things I’ve seen: packaged chocolate chip mini muffins, coco puffs, Lucky Charms cereal bars, pop tarts, and chocolate milk of course. If they can’t manage to pass out anything nutritious, then just have white milk available. No one is starving, in fact those that are economically disadvantaged are the most likely to be overweight. The last thing they need is chocolate milk and a pop tart

+1 if they are going to serve anything (and I understand it is hard to come up with a “sack breakfast”- I agree with the person who said plain cheerios and white milk. Add a banana or an orange. Why on earth the chocolate milk and pop tart route? That is the last thing they need ffs.

+1. I don’t get it AT ALL. And then everyone’s wondering why the kids can’t sit still.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools serve trash food because that is what most Americans eat. My kids go to a title one school where everyone gets free lunch. The fruits and vegetables are taken (because they have to) and are thrown away or thrown around the lunch room. The only milk that is taken is chocolate or the strawberry, no one drinks the white milk.

Honestly schools waste SO much money and food on school lunch and do such a poor job. They should end not lunch. It’s just packaged reheated crap.

Parents should be the ones responsible to fed their children. Just pack their lunch. Schools should offer free white milk, sandwiches (whole wheat bread PB/sunbutter or cold cuts/cheese), and whole fruit (bananas, apples, oranges). That’s it. No one would be hungry, there is something nutritious for everyone, and way less food and money waste

I agree with this. Given the current state of things (budget, logistics, lack of facilities etc) this would be preferable, realistic, and make a lot more sense. Milk, sandwich and fruit is just fine for lunch.

Some parents might consider that beneath their prince/princess

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools serve trash food because that is what most Americans eat. My kids go to a title one school where everyone gets free lunch. The fruits and vegetables are taken (because they have to) and are thrown away or thrown around the lunch room. The only milk that is taken is chocolate or the strawberry, no one drinks the white milk.

Honestly schools waste SO much money and food on school lunch and do such a poor job. They should end not lunch. It’s just packaged reheated crap.

Parents should be the ones responsible to fed their children. Just pack their lunch. Schools should offer free white milk, sandwiches (whole wheat bread PB/sunbutter or cold cuts/cheese), and whole fruit (bananas, apples, oranges). That’s it. No one would be hungry, there is something nutritious for everyone, and way less food and money waste

I agree with this. Given the current state of things (budget, logistics, lack of facilities etc) this would be preferable, realistic, and make a lot more sense. Milk, sandwich and fruit is just fine for lunch.

Yeah- I’d prefer higher quality, freshly prepared meals, because I think nutrition should be a priority. But it’s not in this country and never will be- so I agree simplifying what is served to plain milk, sandwich, and fruit would be better than what they are serving now. If some kids can’t handle milk that isn’t flavored, they can drink water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of you saying it's too expensive- you should see the lovely meals my preschoolers eat in preschool compared to the dog food given to my elementary schooler. And all the preschoolers eat it and enjoy it.

Obviously the preschoolers meals are mass produced, but can you imagine the outrage if my 2 year old was served a honey bun? I think the 2 year old teachers would have a heart attack if they had to put up with the behavior of 2 year olds who all ate a honey bun. They'd be bouncing off the walls. My 2nd grader routinely eats honey buns for breakfast, donuts, etc. In our school everyone gets a free lunch, so everyone is served "breakfast" as they walk through the door in the morning. Even the juice has got to go. My preschoolers are never served juice or chocolate milk. They get milk or water, just like parents serve at home.

+1
Breakfast is the worst. Why don’t they just serve cheerios and white milk??

This is one literally one of the breakfast options that students (at least in the ES) have in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of you saying it's too expensive- you should see the lovely meals my preschoolers eat in preschool compared to the dog food given to my elementary schooler. And all the preschoolers eat it and enjoy it.

Obviously the preschoolers meals are mass produced, but can you imagine the outrage if my 2 year old was served a honey bun? I think the 2 year old teachers would have a heart attack if they had to put up with the behavior of 2 year olds who all ate a honey bun. They'd be bouncing off the walls. My 2nd grader routinely eats honey buns for breakfast, donuts, etc. In our school everyone gets a free lunch, so everyone is served "breakfast" as they walk through the door in the morning. Even the juice has got to go. My preschoolers are never served juice or chocolate milk. They get milk or water, just like parents serve at home.

+1
Breakfast is the worst. Why don’t they just serve cheerios and white milk??

This is one literally one of the breakfast options that students (at least in the ES) have in FCPS.

I think though people are saying they should *just* have cheerios and white milk and fruit and not tempt kids with muffins (aka cupcakes) and poptarts and chocolate milk and french toast sticks etc. I kind of agree with that.

[Anonymous]

I volunteer in my kid's cafeteria and the food looks absolutely revolting. The cafeteria staff are absolute gems though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pack your kids lunch. Problem solved.

Schools won't let me send door dash or catered foods

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of you saying it's too expensive- you should see the lovely meals my preschoolers eat in preschool compared to the dog food given to my elementary schooler. And all the preschoolers eat it and enjoy it.

Obviously the preschoolers meals are mass produced, but can you imagine the outrage if my 2 year old was served a honey bun? I think the 2 year old teachers would have a heart attack if they had to put up with the behavior of 2 year olds who all ate a honey bun. They'd be bouncing off the walls. My 2nd grader routinely eats honey buns for breakfast, donuts, etc. In our school everyone gets a free lunch, so everyone is served "breakfast" as they walk through the door in the morning. Even the juice has got to go. My preschoolers are never served juice or chocolate milk. They get milk or water, just like parents serve at home.

+1
Breakfast is the worst. Why don’t they just serve cheerios and white milk??

This is one literally one of the breakfast options that students (at least in the ES) have in FCPS.

I think though people are saying they should *just* have cheerios and white milk and fruit and not tempt kids with muffins (aka cupcakes) and poptarts and chocolate milk and french toast sticks etc. I kind of agree with that.

I've seen Cheerios or Chex and white milk. I know I've seen small pancakes, egg and cheese sandwiches, and yogurt parfaits. Students definitely pick up whole fruits like bananas and apples. I haven't seen PopTarts, french toast sticks or chocolate milk, but I've seen Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal which probably isn't the greatest.