Hooray!
Newer Lunch Tray readers may not know that I also write (with less frequency) a second blog called “The Spork Report,” devoted exclusively to school food here in my own district, Houston ISD. The blog’s entries are cross-posted on the Houston Chronicle‘s chron.com site and are shared here on TLT as well (preceded by “Spork Report” in the title).
Today I wanted to share some good news from our district – twenty-one new “fruit and veggie carts” headed our way!
Of course, we have about 300 schools, so we have a long way to go before all Houston kids have access to this fresh produce. In addition, the carts are funded by outside donations which may not be a sustainable model throughout the district or one that’s easily replicable elsewhere.
But hey, who am I took look new salad bars in the mouth . . . er, sneeze guard? :-)
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t know if corporate sponsorship of food carts is such a good idea even if it is fruits and stuff. How can we argue to get rid of vending machines if we let these carts in? No, this too brazenly exposes our double standard here and if we are compelled to defend that we would fail. If actual parents are paying for the food carts it would be a good thing but if it is companies or clubs it is advertising to kids. We can’t permit that.
Megan: Just to be clear (in case this is what your concern is), the carts aren’t branded in any way. The district seems to have chosen the name “Fresh Express” without realizing that there’s a brand of pre-cut produce with the same name. There’s no connection between the company and the carts and if you saw one in person, there’s no “Fresh Express” logo that could confuse people. Also, the entities which donated the carts don’t have their logos on them either.
If my kid eats exclusively off the fruit cart how will she get enough protein in her diet? How do school dieticians reconcile these carts with the need for balanced nutrition? I worry my daughter will develop an eating disorder. My older sister nearly died from anorexia back in the day. School nutrition is being kicked to the curb to serve a shallow pro-veggie agenda. This is a very bad idea.
Hot Houston Mama: Just so you understand, this is free produce offered in conjunction with the federal, nutritionally balanced school meal. It’s mot a replacement for it, by any means. The day I saw it in action, kids took the lunch and then added an item or two from the cart to their tray, like carrots or an apple. Hard to see how that’s not a net good.
So the foods on the carts are “extras”? The students already have selected the reimbursable meal and then can add more fruits/veggies?
That’s interesting. If the contents of the cart are not intended to be part of the reimbursable meal, that does remove the need to monitor the trays at that point for serving size and so on that would need to be accounted for if it was part of the reimbursable meal. I realize that it still needs to be watched for food safety and restocking and such, but that whole portion size issue can be problematic, as well as the amount of time for students to serve themselves if it is a part of the reimbursable meal. If it is a supplement, some of those issues are not an issue anymore!
And, as long as there is the outside funding for additional food, it’s a great idea!
Hey I just saw 3 of the 4 pink slime plants were shut down. Awesome job!!!
Do you have any contacts in school cafeterias in Amarillo where all those unemployed people can maybe get jobs?
I suspect the Texas Workforce Commission is on the job – after all, those folks can collect their 99+ weeks of unemployment which, as Nancy Pelosi pointed out, creates far more stimulus to the economy than any stinkin’ JOB!
~EdT.