You can take a horse to water...... school lunches

[pqr]

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/01/19/lausd-students-roundly-reject-healthier-school-lunch-menu/

 

Rejecting healthful alternatives like vegetarian curries and tamales, quinoa salads and pad Thai noodles, students are throwing them in the trash by the thousands, bringing junk food from home and buying instant noodles and other decidedly unhealthy fare from the “black markets†that have begun to thrive at campuses across the district, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Edited January 22, 2012 by pqr

[butterflymommy]

"throwing them in the trash by the thousands..."

 

This might sound petty/ holier than thou, but I was SO horrified by the wastefulness at the free breakfasts/ lunches at my girls' school that it is one of the main reason I don't want to re-enroll them. The fact that they would witness piles and piles of food carelessly thrown in the trash is unbearable to me.

 

We are so cautious about waste in our house, even with 9 people we have very little food/ leftovers thrown away.

[HappyLady]

That's just sad. That's why it's important to get kids to eat healthy right from the very start. I love that when I'm cutting veggies to go with a meal my kids are standing there with their hands out because they don't want to wait and love to eat raw veggies.

[Impish]

Hunger related illnesses from refusing to eat healthy choices.

 

Good grief.

 

Exactly how spoiled/entitled are these kids?

 

Dumping milk b/c it's not strawberry or chocolate flavoured.

 

So, they throw a tantrum, and the school caves.

 

Perfect.

[lionfamily1999]

:confused:

Did they expect the kids to just eat it?

 

:lol:

[butterflymommy]

Hunger related illnesses from refusing to eat healthy choices.

 

Good grief.

 

Exactly how spoiled/entitled are these kids?

 

In all fairness, my 12 y.o. is a very picky eater-- she'll only eat about 3-4 things. The school she was in did not allow bagged lunches without a dr's note, so she simply didn't eat all day. She was so hungry by midday (since she hadn't eaten breakfast either) that she couldn't concentrate, and god forbid she had a test toward the end of the day. Sometimes when I would pick her up she was so weak and dehydrated she'd just collapse asleep when she was home and then have trouble doing her homework.

[justamouse]

Good lord, how stupid were they that they went from crap to quinoa.

 

There is a middle ground that's healthy.

 

And, let them drink water. *sniff*

[NotAVampireLvr]

okay I'm going to play devil's advocate here, but why not feed them healthy alternatives of their old favorites? That's what they do in our district. If the kid doesn't eat quinoa at home, what makes them think they'll eat in school?

[Ester Maria]

Good lord, how stupid were they that they went from crap to quinoa.

 

There is a middle ground that's healthy.

 

And, let them drink water. *sniff*

Yes.

 

They should have opted for a gradual change, shooting - at least for starters - for some kind of a middle ground.

 

NOT that it justifies the kids' brattiness, however. They display the typical attitude of entitlement.

 

Still, the school could have gone more wisely about this.

[itsheresomewhere]

Give the kids some flavored milk. That was the highlight of school lunches for me.

 

White milk would have gotten thrown away by me and I would have just been thirsty. I can't stand the smell of milk and at least the flavors hide it. But they should have made a nice mix of healthier versions of the favorites and maybe "exotic" day and have the kids try new things then.

[Serenade]

In all fairness, my 12 y.o. is a very picky eater-- she'll only eat about 3-4 things. The school she was in did not allow bagged lunches without a dr's note, so she simply didn't eat all day. She was so hungry by midday (since she hadn't eaten breakfast either) that she couldn't concentrate, and god forbid she had a test toward the end of the day. Sometimes when I would pick her up she was so weak and dehydrated she'd just collapse asleep when she was home and then have trouble doing her homework.

 

There are schools that don't allow children to bring lunches from home? They're forced to eat cafeteria food? I heard about that one school around Detroit that did that, but I thought that was a huge exception. Is this getting to be more and more common?

[beaners]

Give the kids some flavored milk. That was the highlight of school lunches for me.

 

White milk would have gotten thrown away by me and I would have just been thirsty. I can't stand the smell of milk and at least the flavors hide it. But they should have made a nice mix of healthier versions of the favorites and maybe "exotic" day and have the kids try new things then.

 

I know I've said before that the plain milk at my school always had an off taste from the cardboard or maybe improper handling. I only drank chocolate milk at school because the other milk tasted funny.

 

I think there is a problem with the way food is handed out if students are picking up trays and milk just to dump them in the garbage. I wonder if everyone must have a carton of milk and all of the food items on their tray. I'm not as horrified by students refusing to eat as I am by them dumping everything in the garbage.

[pqr]

There are schools that don't allow children to bring lunches from home? They're forced to eat cafeteria food? I heard about that one school around Detroit that did that, but I thought that was a huge exception. Is this getting to be more and more common?

 

 

Why would that surprise you? Schools know better than we mere parents.

 

I fully support healthy lunches but other posters are right, there is a middle ground and healthy food that is not eaten does no one any good. That being said another poster mentioned that the students appear to have a sense of entitlement that beggars the imagination.

Edited January 22, 2012 by pqr

[Just Robyn]

I know I've said before that the plain milk at my school always had an off taste from the cardboard or maybe improper handling. I only drank chocolate milk at school because the other milk tasted funny.

 

I think there is a problem with the way food is handed out if students are picking up trays and milk just to dump them in the garbage. I wonder if everyone must have a carton of milk and all of the food items on their tray. I'm not as horrified by students refusing to eat as I am by them dumping everything in the garbage.

 

This is what I was thinking. They must be forcing students to take food and milk? Why not let students choose what to take and what to leave instead of making them take something they won't consume?

 

Regarding the schools that won't allow lunch from home, I wonder if it's due to allergies. The won't let students bring in food because they think it's easier to deal with allergies by just not allowing food other than what the school provides? Not saying I agree with it, just wondering. It also makes me wonder how much they are charging for the required lunch. If you don't qualify for free/reduced school lunch but can't afford their prices, then what?

[DianeW88]

Did you notice they used the word "kerfluffle" in the news story? :lol:

 

And DUH.....rice burgers? Quinoa? For kids who are used to eating pure crap? Are they crazy? How about starting with carrot sticks and ranch dip?

[justamouse]

Clearly the mothers of the hive could solve every problem these poor peons have. Where's the phone #?

[momto2Cs]

okay I'm going to play devil's advocate here, but why not feed them healthy alternatives of their old favorites? That's what they do in our district. If the kid doesn't eat quinoa at home, what makes them think they'll eat in school?

 

:iagree: Exactly what I was just thinking!

[Catwoman]

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/01/19/lausd-students-roundly-reject-healthier-school-lunch-menu/

 

Rejecting healthful alternatives like vegetarian curries and tamales, quinoa salads and pad Thai noodles, students are throwing them in the trash by the thousands...

 

I'd throw those away, too. :ack2:

 

And if anyone is headed out to the kitchen, can you bring me a Pop-Tart and some Doritos? :D

[chiguirre]

This is hardly a new phenomenon. I chucked my school lunch daily for 8 solid years until I finally hit high school where you could buy crackers a la carte. I was not alone in tossing it either, since it was a half-step above prison fare. I longed to pack my lunch, but my mom absolutely refused as did almost every other parent. I guess there was a lot of peer pressure on the parents to buy lunch, but it was truly awful food.

[pqr]

I'd throw those away, too. :ack2:

 

And if anyone is headed out to the kitchen, can you bring me a Pop-Tart and some Doritos? :D

 

 

Perhaps they should add a Happy Meal toy to each order of quinoa salad :-)

[itsheresomewhere]

This is hardly a new phenomenon. I chucked my school lunch daily for 8 solid years until I finally hit high school where you could buy crackers a la carte. I was not alone in tossing it either, since it was a half-step above prison fare. I longed to pack my lunch, but my mom absolutely refused as did almost every other parent. I guess there was a lot of peer pressure on the parents to buy lunch, but it was truly awful food.

 

LOL. My mother never understood why I wouldn't eat the pizza the school served on pizza day. She had fond memories of her school lunches back when they used real ingredients and they cooked it themselves.

[justamouse]

This is hardly a new phenomenon. I chucked my school lunch daily for 8 solid years until I finally hit high school where you could buy crackers a la carte. I was not alone in tossing it either, since it was a half-step above prison fare. I longed to pack my lunch, but my mom absolutely refused as did almost every other parent. I guess there was a lot of peer pressure on the parents to buy lunch, but it was truly awful food.

 

My Dd17 refuses to buy lunch. If I don't pack her something, she won't eat. You think I'm bad about food? She's worse than I am. She eats clean. But I'm proud, I'd rather that than have her eat nothing but junk.

[Catwoman]

Perhaps they should add a Happy Meal toy to each order of quinoa salad :-)

 

:iagree:

 

Why they don't hire you to solve these problems is a complete mystery to me! :D

[Catwoman]

I was not alone in tossing it either, since it was a half-step above prison fare.

 

OK, somebody has to ask, and as usual, it looks like it's going to be me.

 

How exactly do you know so much about prison food? I mean, I'm sure you've paid your debt to society and all, and for that we're grateful, but I'm just wondering what you were in for... ;)

[Audrey]

Hunger related illnesses from refusing to eat healthy choices.

 

Good grief.

 

Exactly how spoiled/entitled are these kids?

 

Dumping milk b/c it's not strawberry or chocolate flavoured.

 

So, they throw a tantrum, and the school caves.

 

Perfect.

 

 

Then the school is just like a heck of a lot of parents, because they obviously caved (or never cared in the first place). How else would kids get that attitude about food if not at home first?

 

I don't blame the schools for serving cheap crap food. I blame parents for not feeding their kids better and not demanding better from the schools. Too many just don't care.

 

So... whatever. Good luck with that. And, that's about all I've got to say on that.

[Audrey]

Clearly the mothers of the hive could solve every problem these poor peons have. Where's the phone #?

 

 

I know, right? :001_rolleyes: I keep telling people... if they would JUST do everything MY way and exactly as I say, we wouldn't have these problems! :tongue_smilie:

[nukeswife]

Sorry, but I wouldn't eat any of those things on the list either.

[justasque]

.

Edited January 22, 2012 by askPauline
can't save 'em all...

[Murphy101]

Good lord, how stupid were they that they went from crap to quinoa.

 

There is a middle ground that's healthy.

 

And, let them drink water. *sniff*

 

:iagree:

 

Kids stop buying the school meals by the thousands?

 

YAY!!!!

 

That much more room in the budget for academics.

 

Or, if we are being honest, football.:glare:

 

Seriously. It is not the schools' job to make lunches. Don't like what is offered? Fine. Make own arrangements then.

[Julie in Austin]

I think the reporting on this issue has been irresponsible, and then opponents of healthier school lunches have run with the inaccurate reporting. If you look up the first LA Times article about this issue, they start with black market lunches but then end with about 5% of kids rejecting the new food.

 

They went from hot dogs to quinoa and only 1 in 20 kids refused to eat it? That's a miracle! But that isn't the story the media wanted, so they decided to spin it. :glare:

[Murphy101]

And I agree pitching the meal is nothing new. I did it. If I even bothered to get it in the first place. Lots of times I skipped lunch entirely and used lunch money for other stuff. Like scholastic books.:D

 

And I survived fine.

 

Those buttercups will survive fine too. If they have the luxury of feeling like refusing a meal, then doing without it probably won't do any harm.

[Catwoman]

And I agree pitching the meal is nothing new. I did it. If I even bothered to get it in the first place. Lots of times I skipped lunch entirely and used lunch money for other stuff. Like scholastic books.:D

 

And I survived fine.

 

Those buttercups will survive fine too. If they have the luxury of feeling like refusing a meal, then doing without it probably won't do any harm.

 

I thought everybody did it. :tongue_smilie: (Don't get me started on school meatloaf... :ack2:)

 

I know a lot of people are up in arms over this, but as I understand it, we're not talking about kids throwing away free lunches here. They're paying for them, right? So if they don't want the quinoa or the plain milk, why should they have to buy it or eat it? If they paid for it, they can throw it away. Sure, it's wasteful, but it's their food to do with as they choose.

[Sun]

I think the reporting on this issue has been irresponsible, and then opponents of healthier school lunches have run with the inaccurate reporting. If you look up the first LA Times article about this issue, they start with black market lunches but then end with about 5% of kids rejecting the new food.

 

They went from hot dogs to quinoa and only 1 in 20 kids refused to eat it? That's a miracle! But that isn't the story the media wanted, so they decided to spin it. :glare:

 

That is interesting. If 95% of the kids actually ate the new foods, that sounds like it would probably be more than were eating the old foods. It makes me wonder why the media feels the need to spin the story to make it sound as if the new foods were almost unanimously rejected.

[pqr]

That is interesting. If 95% of the kids actually ate the new foods, that sounds like it would probably be more than were eating the old foods. It makes me wonder why the media feels the need to spin the story to make it sound as if the new foods were almost unanimously rejected.

 

Well the media does love a story....even so at 5% being thrown away that would still be some 30,000 meals which is a tragedy.

 

Of course it is another media story that states only a 5% rejection rate which may also be a spin.

[jewellsmommy]

Did you notice they used the word "kerfluffle" in the news story? :lol:

 

And DUH.....rice burgers? Quinoa? For kids who are used to eating pure crap? Are they crazy? How about starting with carrot sticks and ranch dip?

 

 

I noticed that too. It totally made me chuckle. I didn't say anything at first because everyone else was on topic. :lol:

[Serenade]

Why would that surprise you? Schools know better than we mere parents.

I guess I'm old, and I remember when most kids brought their lunch, unless they were on the free lunch program.

 

I would have major issues with a public school that forced my kid to buy its lunches. Now if they wanted to make free lunch for all, I could probably live with it then. But not free lunch for some, but everybody else is required to pay for it regardless of whether or not they want to eat it, because, hey, we need somebody to subsidize those free lunches.

[Serenade]

 

Regarding the schools that won't allow lunch from home, I wonder if it's due to allergies. The won't let students bring in food because they think it's easier to deal with allergies by just not allowing food other than what the school provides? Not saying I agree with it, just wondering.

 

This is an interesting consideration. I wouldn't agree with it, either, but I guess it could make sense.

 

It also makes me wonder how much they are charging for the required lunch. If you don't qualify for free/reduced school lunch but can't afford their prices, then what?

 

School lunches are not cheap for those who have to pay full price. I think the paying folks pay a bit more in order to subsidize the free lunches.

[Spy Car]

That is interesting. If 95% of the kids actually ate the new foods, that sounds like it would probably be more than were eating the old foods. It makes me wonder why the media feels the need to spin the story to make it sound as if the new foods were almost unanimously rejected.

 

:iagree:

 

 

It is typical media "spin." I have a child in the LAUSD. The food this year is drastically improved in both flavor and healthfulness over past years. There are "standard" options as well as vegetarian options. It is not all quinoa.

 

I'm sure the know-nothing crowd would be happier if children were fed crap. But the new lunch program is a major step in the right direction for anyone who cares about the health of young people.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

School lunches are not cheap for those who have to pay full price. I think the paying folks pay a bit more in order to subsidize the free lunches.

 

Actully, at $1.00 the school lunches in the LAUSD are pretty inexpensive at full price.

 

Bill

[silliness7]

I'd throw those away, too. :ack2:

 

And if anyone is headed out to the kitchen, can you bring me a Pop-Tart and some Doritos? :D

 

:D:D

 

I don't even know what quinoa is. :leaving:

[SonshineLearner]

:D:D

 

I don't even know what quinoa is. :leaving:

 

"keen-wa" and it's good if cooked well :)

[LucyStoner]

 

School lunches are not cheap for those who have to pay full price. I think the paying folks pay a bit more in order to subsidize the free lunches.

 

Free and reduced lunch is a function of federal funding. Also, in many districts all the lunch price points are priced below cost.

[LucyStoner]

we're not talking about kids throwing away free lunches here.

 

With more than 70% of LAUSD students qualifying for free lunch, I assume that most students are not paying. which is irrelevant - the lunch needs to be healthful and appetizing regardless and it sounds like the LAUSD has better school lunches than I did as a child. I bet the article took the most crunchy sounding things from the veggie OPTION side of the menu to make it seem much more "horrible" (to people on the standard American diet) than it is.

 

And quinoa is tasty.

[LucyStoner]

You can see the actual menus here: http://cafe-la.lausd.net/Caf%C3%A9_LA_Menu

 

The menus sound significantly more conventionally appealing than the story makes out. Looking at elementary school- tacos, tortellini, turkey burgers, roast turkey, pizza, beef stew. With veggies and fruit daily.

 

And maybe it is a stretch to change a high schoolers diet but for kids in early grades, this could really help them learn a healthier way of eating.

 

The sugared milk is as sugared as soda. Not ok for daily consumption. Has anyone seen how heavy kids are getting? What they eat at school, including that milk, is a big part of that. Childhood obesity is actually has been identified as a security issue by law enforcement and military generals because the number of young adults who are not fit to join the military is amazingly high. And even more troubling are the number of kids with middle and older age health worries- diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks. We are failing our kids if we throw our hands up and say "oh they don't like birdseed, let them eat cake" :001_smile:

[lynn]

My dd school serves good lunches, most kids do eat but there is still a lot of waste. DD is a picky eater so I make her lunch daily.

[Stacy in NJ]

a homemade pb&j sandwich. I don't know how they did it, but they had real peanut butter (not Jiff - the natural stuff without preservatives) and fresh homemade bread. Most kids gagged down the grey-colored canned green beans and soy burgers just to get to that pb&j.

 

Give them simple lunches: sandwiches, soups, fruits and veggies. And, then bribe them with a simple treat if they clean their plate. That's how I do it at my house. :001_smile:

[Mergath]

If I had a child in that school district that was suffering from "hunger-related illness" or whatever it is because he or she didn't want to eat healthy food, they would just be out of luck. That's ridiculous. These kids are brats, pure and simple.

 

And for the record, we love quinoa salad here. :D

[Jenny in Florida]

This is hardly a new phenomenon. I chucked my school lunch daily for 8 solid years until I finally hit high school where you could buy crackers a la carte.

 

I was thinking kind of the same thing. I won't say our schools were serving prison fare, but it wasn't wonderful food. On top of that, I was a picky eater and already showing my future vegetarian stripes. (I wouldn't eat anything that actually looked like meat.)

 

So, when I bought lunch, I routinely ate only what I wanted and threw away the rest.

 

Honestly, I looked at the photo accompanying this article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/students-say-no-to-healthy-school-fare/

 

I don't think it looks any worse than what was happening at my schools in terms of waste. Clearly, many of the kids ate the corn on the cob. A good number of others ate the banana. Some at least sampled the salad, and most seem to have eaten the muffin or roll. I'm not sure what the main dish was, because that compartment is empty on the visible trays.

 

This is not to say that I think the schools went about this in a reasonable way. Jumping from typical junk lunches to quinoa and curry seems like they were almost trying to sabotage the effort from the beginning: "See? We gave them good stuff and they won't eat it. Guess we'd better go back to burgers so they don't starve!"

 

But I don't think it's as bleak as the article originally linked here wants to paint it.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Jenny in Florida

[mcconnellboys]

And Jaime Oliver could have delivered a menu for them that would have been healthy AND that the kids would have eaten - too bad bureaucracy wins again (more money wasted)....

[ravinlunachick]

This is what I was thinking. They must be forcing students to take food and milk? Why not let students choose what to take and what to leave instead of making them take something they won't consume?

Regarding the schools that won't allow lunch from home, I wonder if it's due to allergies. The won't let students bring in food because they think it's easier to deal with allergies by just not allowing food other than what the school provides? Not saying I agree with it, just wondering. It also makes me wonder how much they are charging for the required lunch. If you don't qualify for free/reduced school lunch but can't afford their prices, then what?

 

 

In order to receive the USDA reimbursement for a meal, students must have a milk, entree, and iirc, 2 side items on the tray. Schools depend on that reimbursement to fund their food programs; it's not all coming from the paid lunches. Think about it this way, the food is already cooked. They can't use it again another day, so any that didn't get voluntarily taken by students is already "wasted". If it's on the tray, at least there's a chance the kid might eat it.

 

I know I do that at my house. I put stuff on my kids' plates that I know they probably won't eat, because there's ZERO chance they'll eat it if it's not there!