Comments on: Two Cents: School Lunches http://scooptoo.com/posts/two-cents-school-lunches.html Two Moms Giving You The Scoop on an Elementary School Quest Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:06:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Joe http://scooptoo.com/posts/two-cents-school-lunches.html/comment-page-1#comment-1050 Joe Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:45:46 +0000 http://scooptoo.com/?p=651#comment-1050 Certainly there is room for improvement in the school lunch program. At the same time, the difference between a $3.10 lunch and a $1.40 lunch is $1.70 cents. Multiplied by the thousands of kids in DPS and considering the overall percentage of free lunch recipients, the difference is huge. We can demand some change, but we better be willing to spare some change too. Good food is more expensive than processed cheese blocks, bulk noodles, and subsidized beef. I love how the Odyssey kids did their own research and took ownership for their lunches. I would support change coming from kids with much more intensity than changes demanded by parents, who may or may not have as firm a grasp on the problem. These kids obviously did the research, explored options, and found a solution for their school community. Bravo for them! I wish I had the link, but I remember reading about a school system in California that had trouble getting healthier food due to red tape. The school program could not even use healthy food that was donated from local farms. While I understood the frustration of the parents and students, I put myself in the shoes of the school administration too. What if some of that food turned out to be tainted and kids became ill? The school's liability would have been off the chart. So while we hate the red tape, we have to realize we put it there. (not personally, of course, but as a society that has struggled with balancing personal and civic liability) Certainly there is room for improvement in the school lunch program. At the same time, the difference between a $3.10 lunch and a $1.40 lunch is $1.70 cents. Multiplied by the thousands of kids in DPS and considering the overall percentage of free lunch recipients, the difference is huge. We can demand some change, but we better be willing to spare some change too. Good food is more expensive than processed cheese blocks, bulk noodles, and subsidized beef.

I love how the Odyssey kids did their own research and took ownership for their lunches. I would support change coming from kids with much more intensity than changes demanded by parents, who may or may not have as firm a grasp on the problem. These kids obviously did the research, explored options, and found a solution for their school community. Bravo for them!

I wish I had the link, but I remember reading about a school system in California that had trouble getting healthier food due to red tape. The school program could not even use healthy food that was donated from local farms. While I understood the frustration of the parents and students, I put myself in the shoes of the school administration too. What if some of that food turned out to be tainted and kids became ill? The school’s liability would have been off the chart. So while we hate the red tape, we have to realize we put it there. (not personally, of course, but as a society that has struggled with balancing personal and civic liability)

]]> By: Meg http://scooptoo.com/posts/two-cents-school-lunches.html/comment-page-1#comment-47 Meg Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:30:26 +0000 http://scooptoo.com/?p=651#comment-47 I want Americans to get over the obcession that food should be cheap. Your cable internet and cell phones sure arent cheap I want Americans to get over the obcession that food should be cheap. Your cable internet and cell phones sure arent cheap

]]> By: JM http://scooptoo.com/posts/two-cents-school-lunches.html/comment-page-1#comment-39 JM Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:45:26 +0000 http://scooptoo.com/?p=651#comment-39 Along those same lines, here is a film on the subject called "Two Angry Moms". http://www.angrymoms.org/index.html Along those same lines, here is a film on the subject called “Two Angry Moms”.

http://www.angrymoms.org/index.html

]]> By: Liz http://scooptoo.com/posts/two-cents-school-lunches.html/comment-page-1#comment-38 Liz Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:38:50 +0000 http://scooptoo.com/?p=651#comment-38 I think that whole foods -- unprocessed, not frozen, not wrapped in plastic with a 12 month shelf life -- is more important than organic. Instead of mac&cheese from a box (which, yes, we all eat), macaroni with real cheese. Instead of processed, frozen, sodium & preservative filled pizza with reconstituted toppings, how about fresh dough, real tomato sauce, real cheese, fresh toppings. How about fresh potatoes, carrots, apples. How about hiring real cooks in our schools? Just read this today: http://www.takepart.com/blog/2009/09/30/cooking-from-scratch-for-americas-future/#more-48273 I think that whole foods — unprocessed, not frozen, not wrapped in plastic with a 12 month shelf life — is more important than organic. Instead of mac&cheese from a box (which, yes, we all eat), macaroni with real cheese. Instead of processed, frozen, sodium & preservative filled pizza with reconstituted toppings, how about fresh dough, real tomato sauce, real cheese, fresh toppings. How about fresh potatoes, carrots, apples. How about hiring real cooks in our schools?
Just read this today: http://www.takepart.com/blog/2009/09/30/cooking-from-scratch-for-americas-future/#more-48273

]]> By: Tracy Stevens http://scooptoo.com/posts/two-cents-school-lunches.html/comment-page-1#comment-36 Tracy Stevens Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:04:09 +0000 http://scooptoo.com/?p=651#comment-36 It's a sad day when we have to choose between nurturing the mind or nurturing the body! It should absolutely be both in schools - if it is not there is something seriously wrong with the system here. I don't think it is asking to much to have appealing, tasty, nutritious, safe foods to our children in school. If I wouldn't eat the food (and I wouldn't eat most of the stuff I see in DPS's cafeteria) then I wouldn't feel good about giving it to my kids. I understand Revolution foods is more expensive than the junk that is served currently, but it is real food, worth paying for. Many of us are lucky enough to afford it and I understand that others who can't have a subsidy program. Besides, there is always the PB&J option that you can control and is cheap still. It’s a sad day when we have to choose between nurturing the mind or nurturing the body! It should absolutely be both in schools – if it is not there is something seriously wrong with the system here. I don’t think it is asking to much to have appealing, tasty, nutritious, safe foods to our children in school. If I wouldn’t eat the food (and I wouldn’t eat most of the stuff I see in DPS’s cafeteria) then I wouldn’t feel good about giving it to my kids.

I understand Revolution foods is more expensive than the junk that is served currently, but it is real food, worth paying for. Many of us are lucky enough to afford it and I understand that others who can’t have a subsidy program. Besides, there is always the PB&J option that you can control and is cheap still.

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