School lunch menu?

Question

ok here is a sample menu from my sons school.....

monday-----pogos(corn dogs),baked potatoe chips,apple juice,carrot cake

tuesday-----hamberger steak with mashed potatoes and peas,fruit juice and yourgurt

wednseday-----pasta with rosé sauce,veggies,water,fruit

thrusday------lasagna,fruit juice,pudding

friday-----pizza,veggies,grape juice,,jello

the veggies he gets is a chunk of cucumber and carrots.....

so what do you think?should I complain,since his school as no caferteria its a caterer....I believe that this menu is totally unhealthy and full of junk,my son eats healthy at home but what of the other kids that don't shouldn't the school be a place where we learn and eat healthy food

Answer 1

This is our school menu:

M- Ham and cheese or turkey on bulky roll, carrots, chips, steamed hot dog on a roll, assorted bagels and yogurt, baked beans, applesauce, carrot sticks, and shamrock surprise

T-Cheeseburger deluxe on a roll, oven-fried chicken, biscuit, bagel and cheese stick, seasoned hot vegetable, side noodles, fresh fruit and juice

W-Rotini with marinara or meat sauce, garlic bread, popcorn chicken, dips, roll, assorted bagels and yogurt, hot vegetable, rice pilar, fresh fruit and juice

Th- Cheese or veggie pizza, assorted bagels and string cheese, confetti whole wheat spaghetti salad, fresh fruit and juice

Our town publishes the menu the week before, and my kids get to pick one day that they think sounds good, and they are allowed to buy lunch that day.

Answer 2

School lunches are horrible.  Full of carbs and junk.  Yes, it should be better but not enough pressure from parents to make it that way.  Go to your PTA and get support.  Some schools have changed from pressure from parents.  Also, there is a national movement for this.  Google it.  Join.  Cause changes!  Also, make sure they take out or shut off the pop and vending machines!

Answer 3

i would pack my own lunch

Answer 4

that is about the same as our menues here only everything is "baked" and not fried so it is healthier yeah right.  My kids take their lunch and the oldest is in highschool and eats off the salad bar instead of the main lunch.  Feed kids this and then take away more of the recesses and then they complain because all of the kids are obese and blame the parents hmmmm makes you wonder

Answer 5

That is a great menu.

Answer 6

I don't think your complaining will do any good, could you think of a solution that is cheaper/easier to prepare/something kids will always eat? In the UK we have recently had a big over haul of bad school dinners and now they are fantastic! They have a selection of fresh vegetables x2/3 with every main meal, water, free fruits at break and lunch times, and friut dessert.

Answer 7

Thats why my kids take their lunches

and they wonder why kids are fat

wait till high school and they can get what they want

you have fast food chains that sell their garbage in the cafeteria as well

Pizza, fries and chips for most kids everyday

Answer 8

wish that was what they served at my kids school.  today they had nachos

Answer 9

your son is stupid to think that unhealthy it is so good u should see what my son has for shcool lunch!!!!!!!!!(soo i pack his lunch)

Answer 10

Australian schools also had  huge over haul this year out with the junk food and in with more proper food.

Unfortunately high school kids seem to just do what they want.

My kids only bought there lunch on Mondays after that it was made from home.

I don't think a catering firm Is capable of running a school cafeteria's   they will only cook stuff up that's cheap.

I know as I have worked in them.

Australian Junior schools don't have cafeteria  they have small shops that the kids can drop in there order as soon as they arrive or they can line up at lunch in a orderly manner. In winter there is home made soup available from good canteens,the canteens are run by the mothers on a roster basis all volunteer work about a half a day.

It generally is run quite well with just a manager to get all the food bought

Answer 11

I'm glad in the UK they've had an overhaul of kids school lunches.  They have fresh veg and fruit, roast dinners, pasta, all really healthy and balanced.

Answer 12

This looks a lot like our school lunch. The problem I see is that the children often eat the unhealthy part and skip the fruits and vegetable. In our school they have the main and then can choose the sides that are usually the fruits and veggies but also the dessert stuff. I try to make my daughter take two healthy choices before she can have any dessert but she still has to learn that..

I think the caterer believes this to be a healthy meal and you can not do a lot about that.

Answer 13

Pack his lunch every day - problem solved.

Answer 14

It sounds loads better than our menu.  There was one month last year they had pizza on the menu every day.  We have three choices the third is always grilled cheese from frozen (gross!).  Our menu is filled with chicken nuggets, hamburgers, hotdogs and pizza (4 or 5 different kinds).  I'd kill to have my kids eating pasta and lasagna. Pizza once a week would be fine too.  My kids only buy one day a week as a treat and you can see why.

Answer 15

If you have been given a conviction on this, then by all means address the school. Unfortunately, since some fruit, water, juice, and vegetalbes are provided, they are probably not going to change.

Diet is something that is so complex... what one person sees as healthy options, another sees as junk food. Take those "baked potatoe chips," for example! Or what about some of the other packaged foods you can buy at the supermarket. Candy fruit snacks with "real fruit juice" ! Are you kidding me? EAT AN APPLE! We are a society addicted to sugar, convienience and cost. We love our money more than our health, and our food more than our money. Bitter cycle. (myself included )

Answer 16

In all honesty, this does not sound all that bad.  I work in an inner city school and my students receive free lunch.  We have a similar menu.  The portions are very small and also made with fat-free/whole grain items.   The school has a criteria for how many calories, fats and grams of sugar are allowed in each lunch.

What's wrong with pasta or lasagna?   You can eat both, in small portions and it can be 100% healthy.  

Plus, fruits and veggies are being served.  Also, what about the yogurt, that's healthy.

IMO, if you don't like the lunch, pack your kids own lunch.  Also, don't worry about other people's kids.  As a teacher, I can tell you, if a parent truly does not want their child eating that food, they'll pack lunch.   Packing lunch doesn't have anything to do with having extra time.  If it's truly important to the parent, they'll pack their lunch.

So, changing the menu isn't going to change much.   God knows what they're eating at home.

I would do a little research regarding the lunch program.  You might be surprised that the food isn't as bad as you think.  I'm not saying it's wonderful.  But, it is what it is.   School lunch will never be top quality, unless parents and districts are willing to shell out $15+ a day, per kid for lunch.

Answer 17

That sounds like what my typical grade school lunch would be in the early 90s.

It's not healthy, but it's not realistic to expect superior lunch planning from a likely underfunded and understaffed section of educational services. Complaining won't do much good unless you can provide a solution that would cost as much or is cheaper, is easier to prepare, and something that the kids WILL eat. It's not as easy as it sounds.

But at least for your kid, there's always "cold" sack lunch.

Answer 18

Most of that stuff sounds good!.  When I was in school (graduated in 1991, but still read the lunch menus in the paper) we had many menu items to choose from (High school and Middle school had all these choices) and they have a lot of good stuff.

Example Today's menu can be as follows

Fish FIllet

Potato Rounds (Tater Tots)

WHole KErnel Corn

Fruit Choice

BRownie

Milk

OR

Baked Chicken

COrn

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

OR

Salad Bar

OR

Potato Soup and Sandwich

They also ahve an ala carte line Such as

Pizza

Ham Sandwich Etc