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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think people are applying their own school lunch experiences to all CA school lunches. There was a big push to make school food healthier and more kid friendly/likable years ago. I know not every district is the same, but my kids’ elementary school has a garden and they all have class time in the garden and an after school club that tends it (along with parent volunteers). They supplement the school lunches with the veggies they grow (the kids get so excited knowing they grew the food they’re eating), and they have a farmers market with the rest of the produce to help raise funds.

I just checked the menu for my daughter’s high school and today for breakfast they’re offering cereal (daily),  breakfast sandwich, or pancakes. For lunch the choices are penne with turkey meat sauce, chicken and bacon salad, or red beans and rice. Other days they offer things like carnitas burritos, veggie burritos, minestrone, pizza, veggie pasta, veggie chow mein, chicken wraps. I’ve seen them, and they don’t look bad. It sort of reminds me of what you’d get at a museum cafe. It’s not particularly great or memorable, but there’s a variety and it’s decent. One thing I like is that when they list veggie/vegetarian options, they generally mean loaded with veggies rather than meat free. I checked the next district over and they seem similar. They have a daily option of yogurt with granola, chicken sandwich, Caesar salad with or without chicken, cheeseburger, and a rotating entree that includes things like chili, burritos, maple glazed chicken, chicken sliders.

When I was in school, we had things like pizza that was essentially cardboard with tomato sauce and cheese sprinkled on top, a salad made of lettuce and ranch dressing, and various other slop. My kids’ experience is quite different. [/quote]
This. The California bill also explicitly includes money for kitchen upgrades and higher quality food. It is possible to do this with slightly more investment and commitment on the part of school districts. The ROI on feeding all kids, not just UMC kids whose parents have time and resources, healthy and nutritious food. The fact that we've underinvested in childhood nutrition for so long is the real travesty.[/quote]

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