School Administrators: Kids Like Healthy Lunches Just Fine

[underpants]

http://time.com/3012865/healthy-lunches-kids-usda-survey/

According to a new survey published in the Childhood Obesity journal

As the battle rages on over whether or not to scrap healthier options in public school lunch, a new survey suggests students actually like the nutritional meals they’re being offered. Well, at least they like it enough to keep from complaining to school administrators about it.

But most had come around by the spring, they reported in a new study backed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Now, around 70% of elementary school students “generally like the new lunch,” they said. Middle and high school administrators reported similar reactions, with 70% and 63% of students “generally” liking the new lunches, respectively.

Yet, according to the new survey to be published in an upcoming issue of the Childhood Obesity journal, high school students and students in rural schools have been more reluctant to accept the changes. About 25% of middle and high school administrators reported noticing “a little more” plate waste during the 2012-2013 school year, while 16% of middle schools and 20% of high schools reported noticing “much more” waste.

Wall Street Journal article
http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/study-finds-elementary-students-like-new-healthier-lunches-1405962033?mobile=y
An accompanying research brief out of the University of Michigan found similar results in middle and high schools.

[Peacetrain]

1. Anyone besides me remember mystery meatloaf Thursdays at school?

Complaints about lunches the school system serves is as old as school lunches. The only thing we liked was the chocolate milk.

Just remembering..

[MineralMan]

10. I remember it. Back in the late 50s and early 60s when I

was eating in the school cafeteria, all of the food was made in the cafeteria kitchen, including the bread. Did we like everything? No, but the quality was generally good. The mystery meat meatloaf wasn't really a mystery. It was a mixture of ground beef and ground pork, with oats as a filler. It wasn't great, but you could drown it with ketchup from the bottles on every table.

Most of the food was pretty similar to what I was served at home. The fried chicken was fried a lot like my mother did it. We had burgers, which were pretty much the same mixture as the meatloaf, but formed into thick, juicy patties. Sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and onion were on it, along with mass quantities of the same ketchup we drowned the meatloaf in.

Spaghetti with meatballs, again with the meatballs made of the same stuff the meatloaf was. Veggies? Well those often came from $10 cans, except when fresh veggies were cheap at the wholesale market in Los Angeles, but it was 50 miles away, and there wasn't a local farmer's market where I lived.

We also had freshly baked pies and cakes for desert, and rolls baked that day were always part of the meals.

All in all, our old cafeteria food was pretty good, even though it might not pass muster on today's food pyramid.

[conservaphobe]

2. All the kids and parents who complain around here are quite chunky.

"Michelle Obama starves little Johnny to death."

LOL, yeah... it sure looks like he's starving.

[hedgehog]

3. I'd like to see if there is any correlation of complaints with

attitudes toward Michelle Obama - I imagine adminstrators who dislike her are more likely to collect complaints!

I read at least one article indicating that the problem was that fewer lunches were being sold - and that somehow this was costing the food service department money.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/06/baldwinsville_school_district_opts_out_of_national_school_lunch_program_for_its.html

The article doesn't do a good job of examining the claims. It also neglects to examine what is being served. They only had the June menu posted when I checked, it struck me as still being overloaded with processed, frozen entrees.

http://www.bville.org/tfiles/folder1762/LUNCHBAKERDUR.PDF

[rocktivity]

4. I'm guessing that the people waging the "battle"

are knee jerk Obama haters and junk food peddlers.


rocktivity

[awoke_in_2003]

5. I bet that is most of it. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

6. My wife had knee replacement surgery on 17JUN

one week later she severely strained her quad muscle. To make it easy on her, I have been getting a lot of takeout food. She has greatly improved now, and last night made a nice pot roast with carrots, and had Brussels Sprouts on the side. It seemed like it was the best meal I have had in forever. Junk food gets old.

[LWolf]

7. I see school lunch every day.

I haven't noticed it looking any healthier.

[femmocrat]

8. Same here, LWolf!

It is still predominately chicken nuggets, pizza, fries, and canned fruit. The kids eat the same thing everyday. No wonder they are tired of it. I used to buy the alternative lunch (like stir fry or chicken a la king) maybe twice a week. I don't think I bought the school lunch more than a handful of times last year.

Also... weren't the students supposedly permitted to have seconds on fresh fruits and vegetables? I never once saw that offered.

[LWolf]

9. Oh, the pizza.

Not to mention the burritos.

It's all over-processed, pre-made junk. They don't even build full kitchens into schools any more.