Yesterday, in conjunction with the signing of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, the White House released this chart purporting to show what school meals will look like “before and after” the legislation is in effect:
I know it’s hard to read on the screen, so here’s an excerpt from the menu as described in the Obama Foodorama blog:
. . . under the *current* unhealthy school food ethos, Monday’s BeforeMenu would be:
Bean and cheese burrito (5.3 oz)
with mozzarella cheese (1 oz)
Applesauce (1/4 cup)
Orange Juice (4 oz)
2% Milk (8 oz)But under the new bill, Monday’s After Menu is dazzlingly delish & nutrish, excellent fodder for any junior locavore:
Submarine Sandwich
(1 oz turkey, .5 oz low-fat cheese)
on Whole Wheat Roll
Refried Beans (1/2 cup)
Jicama (1/4 cup)
Green Pepper Strips (1/4 cup)
Low Fat Ranch Dip (1 oz)
Cantaloupe wedges, raw (1/2 cup)
Skim Milk (8oz)
Mustard (9 grams)
Reduced fat mayonnaise (1oz)
Terrific, right? But is it financially achievable? And even if it is, will students accept such a change in their meals, or will many drop out of an already underfunded system that desperately needs their dollars?
More to come . . . .
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
There’s nothing particularly expensive about that menu. I’m not sure what season it’s supposed to be in. All of that could easily be offered on a salad bar, plus much more, on the current budget.
Would there be extra expense involved in prep? In the original menu there is nothing that doesn’t come self-contained. But with the new menu, someone’s going to have to cut up the veggies and fruit and either dish them out or put them all in individual containers.
Also, I wonder how easy is it to keep things fresh? We’ve all visited a salad bar with limp cantalope that’s been sitting there a bit too long. Will that require infrastructure that doesn’t currently exist in many schools?
Also –jicama –yuck!
I think Renee is right; the extra expense would be largely labor. For a school lucky enough to have a salad bar already, and the labor to staff it (necessary at elementary, where the younger students have trouble using the tongs to serve themselves and will default to putting grubby hands into the offerings if unsupervised), adding darker green and orange veggies could happen with the extra 6 cents.
But for a school without equipment. or facilities, or extra labor, this menu is going to be tricky. The jicama can be purchased precut in plastic bags, but of all the veggies we serve on our salad bars in SF, it is the one most prone to spoilage – it becomes slimy within just a couple of days if not used up – so a high spoilage rate drives up the actual cost.
And that cantaloupe – someone is going to have to be paid to cut those wedges. What’s more, melons ship when they are quite firm; once they arrive at the school, they require several days to ripen to the point where they are tasty. This means the school has to have adequate storage space, safe from rodents and other vermin, to store the fruit while it ripens. As some of our school cafeterias are working literally out of a closet in the auditorium, ripening and then cutting up fresh melon on site would be challenging to say the least.
If you want kids to eat it you are going have to deal with a lot of whinning. At first I’m sure kids, and some parents for that matter, will throw fits. Governments, school systems, parents need to ignor the initial reactions. There will a quite a bit of wasted food at first, but if you persist kids will soon start to eat what on the menu. But, I’m not sure schools have the stomachs to deal with the whinning.
Graham — agreed. And it’s not just whining but an actual drop in participation, and therefore dollars, that keeps school districts (understandably) scared of change. Thanks for visiting The Lunch Tray and commenting here! – Bettina
We could do that menu, not too much of a problem, at least as far as prep and serving. Cost, that I’m not sure of, but I honestly think it could work. The last time we served sub sandwiches, the menu was subs, baked beans, tossed salad, orange wedges and milk.
The turkey & cheese come pre sliced. I put the turkey on the bun in the serving line and ask the child if they want cheese. Another employee asks if they want tomato slice, pickles are pre portioned into a little portion cup. (to avoid having to be the pickle police when you suddenly see someone with a half cup of pickles piled on a tray). While oranges were listed on the menu, we offer at least 3 fruit choices a day, at least one is fresh fruit. Canned fruit (in juice) is portioned into serving cups as well. Third employee serves the baked beans and tossed salad. Light salad dressings (ranch & french) offered in squirt bottles at the tables, as well as light mayo type dressing and mustard for this menu.
We’ve served melon wedges before, so that would be doable. Jicama has not overly popular, we’ve never tried pepper slices. Refried beans have been offered with tacos, again, not an overly popular choice…but certainly possible to purchase and serve.
We are fortunate, we do have prep facilities. However, I’d have to consider what day of the week I’d be serving this, to be sure the fresh produce was going to be arriving on the right day.
Refrigerated storage is an issue in the building I work at. Classrooms have been added over the years, but the kitchen area has not been enlarged. There is a walk-in cooler, but it’s small…kind of like one of those sliding number puzzle toys, you need to move one cart to move another to get to what you need! A commercial reach in freezer, but no walk in freezer. I think the kitchen & cafeteria were probably built with about 300 to 350 students in mind, we are averaging just under 500 now. Seriously, honestly, no room for a salad bar either.
I know…long already, but whether this menu will “work” or not is going to depend a great deal on what is available already as far as kitchen staff and facilities. Might be an easy switch in some cases, a real up-hill road in others.
Maggie: As always, it’s great to hear from a school food professional and get your take on these things. As you note, though, the ability to serve this meal (both logistically and financially) will vary considerably by district. The price for lunch may be higher or lower, there may be greater or lesser participation and support in a given community, and, as you point out, staff and facilities may vary. It’s important for us to keep that in mind when talking about what’s possible — I guess there’s no one “possible” that fits all districts. – Bettina