During the first of week of school, students began filing in and out of the lunch lines only to find some upsetting changes in the cafeteria. Rumors flew between students on campus and at other high schools in the district. Some said the schools were now serving half the amount of food for double the price while others speculated that it’s because of the switch in food service providers. The Word did an in-depth investigation to find out the truth behind what some are calling a cafeteria catastrophe.
A wave of complaints came from the student body claiming that their lunches were too expensive and that they weren’t being given enough to eat. Many students blamed the school and others blamed the district’s switch in food companies.
“We need more food,” freshman Elijah Golding said. “Four chicken nuggets is not enough to eat.”
On June 21, the school board voted to change food service providers from Sudexo, a company that served the district for 20 years, to the Arizona-based Southwest Foodservice Excellence.
“We switched because we wanted a new outlook and [Southwest] could offer more recipes and fresher food,” cafeteria manager Mandy Saunders said.
However, neither the school nor the company is to blame for the changes in the cafeteria.
The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, joined with First Lady Michelle Obama in her Let’s Move! program that was launched on Feb. 9, 2010 to reverse obesity in America. The First Lady challenged schools to provide healthier meal plans and as of Feb. 10 last year, 2,862 schools across the country volunteered to successfully meet the USDA guidelines.
These new guidelines included specific meal patterns and nutrition standards which ensure children are receiving proper amounts of fruits, veggies, grains, etc. as well as set calorie ranges for each set of grade levels. For high schools students, the calorie count is between 720 and 850 per meal.
“Kids should get to choose what they want to eat, otherwise they’ll just throw it away and that would be a waste,” freshman Edie Monceaux said. “I don’t think they should be forced to eat anything.”
On Dec. 13, 2010 President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act which allowed for these new guidelines from the USDA to become a requirement for all schools nationwide, beginning this school year.
“I think it’s good because everyone gets a healthier meal, but it’s just one meal a day,” Golding said. “Kids can go home and eat whatever they want.”
Students across the nation are faced with these new standards in their lunchrooms. One group of students responded with a parody of We Are Young, inserting their own lyrics, “We are hungry.”
“I think [students] should be given more [food] because teens need to eat a lot,” Monceaux said.
Saunders said it’s unfair to make a blanket statement about each student’s dietary needs as to how much food is appropriate and fair.
“Student activity levels determine how much they need, so it should be based off of the individual,” Saunders said. “Healthy eating starts at home.”
As for price increases, a complete meal which includes an entree, vegetable or fruit and a milk, only increased by five cents. However, a la carte purchases have increased by varying amounts.The biggest increase for individual items is for corn dogs and hot dogs.
For hungry students, the calorie count is here to stay, but Saunders said she would like to hear feedback from students and teachers about how the food tastes.
