School Meals Makeover Stirs the Pot

published April 6th, 2011 in Ed Week

I was shocked to read that school meal rules have not changed in 15 years. When I was a sophomore in high school in 1996, was the last time anyone has talked about what is served in school cafeterias. The new rules being proposed are an attempt to combat the childhood obesity levels and they target lowering calories, and incorporating more fruits/vegetables and whole grains. These new rules were proposed in January and open to comment until this April. It will likely take another year for the rules to be finalized, which sets the stage for the 2012-13 school year to be the first year this takes effect.

I am concerned about the increased cost to schools associated with the new menus. Fresh fruits and vegetables do cost more than some of the other foods previously served. The estimate in the article said it would cost school districts an additional $6.8 billion to comply with the new rules. At a time when districts are already facing major budget cuts and the necessity to lay off licensed teachers, this figure seems much too large for any district to handle. Another suggestion in the article was for the districts to help offset the cost by raising school lunch prices. As a parent I have several concerns about this. First, for families with multiple children in school this cost can add up fast! A school lunch in Dallas currently costs $1.80. I will have 3 children in school next year, which means I will be paying $5.40 a day/$27 a week/ $110 a month for one meal. An increase in price could really be a financial hardship for some families. My second concern is that my extremely picky eaters will not be interested in this radically “healthy” food. If less students are eating the food, it may lead to more food being wasted or tossed in the garbage.

While the idea behind the new rules is admirable, I think in all honesty will only lead to more hardship for families and small school districts. I could support incremental change that lessened to blow of the full transition, but will not support the new rules and timelines as they exist now.