Ahhh, the memories of school lunch in the 80s. Back then I ate pizza nearly every day covered in greasy, suspect cheese and salty pepperoni bits. Alternating days were hard chicken nuggets and cold french fries. And I loved it.
Where’s the veggies?
Ahem, my tastes have fortunately evolved over the years. But I do remember begging my mom to let me buy that fatty, oversalted food. Not much has changed, in either the food or the way my daughter begs me to let her buy lunch (it might be the daily ice cream cup they serve.) The meals are not much healthier – remember the uproar over pink slime? And the experience itself is still one of rushed indifference.
The school lunch program has honest intentions. On one hand the service is meant as a great equalizer, ensuring that kids of all socioeconomic groups have access to at least one full meal a day at a very low or no cost. On the other hand, the program serves parents, whose busy schedules can wreak havoc on planning, shopping for, and preparing a fresh lunch every day. And when $11.6 billion of our tax dollars go to funding school lunches every year, I for one would appreciate taking advantage of the program if I knew my kids were getting healthy, fresh, well-prepared choices.
But alas, there is the dilemma. Because to provide kids healthy, fresh, well-prepared choices would cost us even more billions, some industry insiders say. Schools don’t have the funds to participate, the staff skilled enough to prepare fresh meals, and even more importantly- kids willing to eat healthier fare.
I listened to a fascinating discussion about this topic on NPR recently – here is the link.
As one of the guests, Dr. Marion Nestle – author of several books on food and policy – illustrated, providing healthier choices is just one piece of a confusing puzzle. Because you can put vegetables in front of kids, but you can’t make them eat ‘em. As my daughter tells me – “my vegetable tube is closed today, Mom, but my ice cream tube is wide open!” And when kids just start tossing the veggies in favor of sweets, a lot of money goes into the trash too.
Healthy eating has to start at home, and school food has to be a supplement and complement to that. For a thoroughly eye-opening view of just how different Americans can be when it comes to food education and enjoyment, you must read French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon.
French parents don’t just plop down a bunch of veggies and expect kids to eat them. From a very young age, they are given an education about food, about taste, and about variety. They often are taken to the markets where they can see and touch the fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating is demonstrated to them from the very beginning as a pleasurable experience, a celebration worth using the good china every time. All this experiential education results in kids willing to try new foods and increased appreciation and desire for fresh fruits and veggies.
Another of the more glaring disparities between our cultures is the amount of time allotted for children to eat school lunch. In France, it’s between one and a half to two hours. In America – an average of 31 minutes. A half hour for lunch may seem not so bad, until you realize that includes standing in line time, visiting a locker or restroom, and sitting down to scarf food. With so much pressure to increase instructional minutes, school lunch time continues to shrink.
So what are we to do about the dismal state of school lunch? We need to start fighting on behalf of our kids to make it better. One organization is helping parents do just that. It’s called The Lunchbox, and it’s website provides resources and action steps that advocates can take directly to their school boards. We’ll be talking more about this in future blog posts, because we take lunches – school or otherwise – very seriously around here!
Check out their website and their e-manual which I strongly recommend reading – What You Need to Know About School Lunch. Their Principles of an Edible Education in the introduction really struck a nerve with me. As the French know, food is an integral and beautiful part of life’s enjoyment, not just a means of fuel any which way you can get it. And that’s what TheLunchbox.org is helping parents accomplish in schools.
In the meantime, since many of us have opted out of school lunches, or want to consider it – I’m passing along some of my most favorite resources for making great lunches. Quick, easy, and healthy are my criteria – my kids want delicious too.
100 Days of Real Food Lunch Roundup V – I LOVE this website and have been so inspired by her lunches. Frozen smoothie pops in your kids lunch? Yes! And a big hit!
Weelicious Lunches – I heart all Weelicious does in making meals kid AND parent friendly. Her lunches may not all be packable – some are meant for serving your toddlers at home or kids on a weekend. But lots of ideas to serve up some inspiration.
Momables Lunchbox Meal Plans – Her cookbooks for babies and for kids have been lifesavers for me. Easy prep and great variety. But if you want to lighten your brainload a bit more, sign up for her weekly meal plans for lunches. Simple food prep, grocery lists, planning so that you use up certain ingredients in different ways to reduce waste. Awesome.
School lunches pose a double edge sword for parents. Most offerings are so dismal that many parents just opt out. But when fewer kids participate, schools receive less and less funding, continuing the downward spiral. Join us in learning more about the state of our school lunches, and then by putting our knowledge into action. More to come!
junk food and pre-packaged snacks and food that can outlast the apocalypse – we must not forget to eat some chocolate. As in, Banana Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins.
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