School Lunch Issues

I have so many issues with our school lunches. The commodities, the lunchroom workers who think what they're serving children is healthy, the processed foods, the time allowed to eat. Today I surprised my six year old with bagels from his favorite downtown shop, arriving at his classroom with an overstuffed grocery bag full of organic cream cheese, whole wheat bagels, carrot and celery sticks, apple slices, homemade whole wheat graham crackers, and bottles of chilled Honest tea (lightly sweetened and caffeine-free...a treat compared to his usual thermos of milk). He was thrilled!

I always pack my child's lunch. He gets a say in what goes in for the day and helps put it together when there's time. Sometimes it'll be a thermos of leftover soup, lasagna, or mac and cheese, a wrap sandwich, or a lunch "snack," which consists of a bunch of small, healthy, bite-sized items (a pretend Lunchable, kind of). Most of the time, though, he requests cheddar cheese on my homemade whole wheat bread, a little mayo, and lettuce or sprouts. I always include some form of vegetable and a fruit, and occasionally toss in a little treat. Once or twice a month he replaces his milk with a box of 100% juice.

I remember enjoying hot lunch when I was a kid. I absolutely LOVED the disgusting mashed potatoes with hamburger gravy, which I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole nowadays! My son gets to choose one meal from the cafeteria per month, so he doesn't feel left out and gets to see and taste what the other kids eat on a regular basis. I look the menu over, choose three or four days of somewhat acceptable items, and he decides from there, marking it on his calendar and counting the days. Personally, I think he gets so excited because he knows he'll be getting chocolate milk! This month, however, is a short one, with Christmas break quickly approaching. I couldn't find one reasonable selection for him to eat.

The dishes my son was looking at were full of commodity beef...the bottom of the barrel rejects that get into the system even when they're not supposed to be fit for human consumption. Now, I TRY to not be a total food nazi, but it's especially important that our children eat as best they can while they're in such a critical stage of development and growth. I have open communication with both my kids, and being the oldest, my son has very good knowledge of why we don't eat that junk. The compromise was that I would surprise him with acceptable takeout one day instead.

Now on to my next issue.... I arrived at 11:15 and the kids were washing up, getting ready to head into the cafeteria. Kids who brought their own lunches sat down and started to eat (4 in his class of 22), while the others lined up for their hot lunches. Ten or fifteen minutes later the others emerged carrying their trays. Only two children had cartons of 1% white milk; everyone else had chocolate. The majority had a half a sandwich on "wheat" bread (the caramel-colored stuff) with a slice of lunch meat and a piece of processed American cheese on it. No veggies, whatsoever, on any tray. Kids had fresh cantaloupe, peaches canned in heavy syrup, applesauce (sweetened with HFCS), and one girl had a hefty serving of canned corn. About five children had "hot" lunch, which was a mystery item that smelled revolting. I had to ask a girl what it was! (Beef enchiladas.) I watched as the kids with sandwiches ate most of their lunches, but the ones with the supposed enchiladas pushed them around, taking maybe one bite, and throwing the rest away. At 11:40 the teachers were telling the kids to hurry up and get outside; most had hardly even eaten half their lunches. Food went into the trash, and kids raced outside to recess. My son ate all that I brought for him and was asking if I had a second bagel, but the custodian was telling us we had to leave. We were the last ones sitting there, less than half an hour after sitting down (remember, most children had had maybe 10 minutes to actually eat).

Surely there has to be a better way. Foreign countries are reforming their school lunch programs, spending more than twice as much per child than the US. Isn't the key to a nation's future (and success) with how the children are raised and grown? If we value their health so little, how will that affect them in adulthood? Oh, wait...we're already seeing that now, with massive rates of diabetes, obesity, and other ailments. But whenever I try to bring up ANY idea of incorporating healthier eating at my son's school...well, I'm shot down, looked at like I'm crazy, and occasionally attacked because I actually care. Sigh. I think I'll just stop now....