healthy food options?

[meemee]

has your school achieved this? how did they do it?

our school is presently struggling with this. the place we have hit a snag is to make it affordable enough for the poorer parents to pay.

our food is decided by the district. we would have to go to a private vendor to get healthy stuff for $3 to $5 per meal which is a bit too much for some parents in our school.

have you all affected any district wise change?

how did you find a way around the free lunches or subidized lunches? the state covers the cost right now. they would not be willing to cover part or whole of $3 to $5.

[sunnmama]

$3-5 sounds like a LOT. And $5 is a lot more than $3, adding up each day.
What are they offering for that amt? All organic?

[bonamarq]

I happen to live in Huntington, WV - which you may or may not know is where Jamie Oliver filmed his food revolution series with a focus on school lunches -

So we have made good progress but it comes from the district - with a grant from the local hospital as well- even with all the Jamie Oliver publicity it isn't clear that we'll be able to maintain the changes because of both cost (it is higher although not nearly as high as you stated) but also because the kids are not eating it - not a good excuse in my book - eventually they will get used to it and either eat it or bring their own (which is sadly, often worse then what the school is serving) alas... that is why we are the unhealthiest city in America....

Even still, I send my dd lunch with her everyday - we are mostly vegetarian and that is still not reflected in the new "healthier" menus (although I use that term loosely)

[travlr]

Our school uses the Farm to School program which is now active in 44 states. There is a salad bar option everyday at school where the children can supplement their hot lunch with fresh local produce. There isn't an additional charge for the salad bar. I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for but you can compare this with what your vendor is offering.

Here is the link to our local school's Farm to School program. And the link to the national Farm to School program. Good luck!

[meemee]

its the hot lunches the PTA is trying to improve.

we do have a salad bar but v. v. v. few kids eat it.

some of the smaller or private schools use the vendors which they directly buy from. the parents choose a week or maybe 4 days in advance and then the school buys the meals. the meals come packed so each child gets what the parents ordered so there is no free choice of say the salad bar.

wow you find $3 for a meal expensive? hot food, milk/juice, fruit/veggie. i find that pretty reasonable. no i dont think its all organic but certain foods are like apples.

[JessicaS]

$3 for a meal is pretty high when it is lower income people paying for it. That is $15 a week/ $60 a month.

I live in an area that has a lower income. The lunches are 1.75

http://www.kckps.org/menus/

[Drummer's Wife]

Asking parents to go from paying nothing (for free lunch) or less than $1 (for reduced) would be too much, IMO. I really doubt it would be worth it, or possible, for them to do so in order to have healthier, organic and fresh foods.

Our district does have decent food, IMO, and offers several entrees each day (always at least one vegetarian) as well as a handful of sides to choose from. They do fresh fruits and veggies, whole grain breads, and not much fried. How they do it from a financial standpoint, I dunno the details, but they do get subsidized for those kids who qualify - so they must be within the guidelines. We have monthly nutrition meetings where parents can give input as to what will be on the menus. I am happy with what they serve, and know it's better than what I would/could realistically send on a daily basis for the amount of $ it costs for my kids. But I do think asking parents, even those who pay the full amount out of pocket, to pay $3 or especially $5 per day is unlikely to fly.

[egoldber]

Interesting. In the grand scheme of things our elementary school's lunches are not as terrible as some, but I think they are stll pretty bad. But they are $2.65 and if for $3 we could get a lot better food, that would be wonderful! The reduced price meal for families who qualify is 40 cents. Our breakfast is $1.50 and I can't believe some places are able to do lunch for that!

My younger DD's preschool offers an optional hot lunch and it is $5 per meal. They are VERY popular, especially with the dual wotking families. But it is a much more affluent population at the preschool/child care vs elementary school. The meals are quite good, well balanced, and cooked fresh on site. But that comes at a price.

[sunnmama]

Originally Posted by meemee

wow you find $3 for a meal expensive? hot food, milk/juice, fruit/veggie. i find that pretty reasonable. no i dont think its all organic but certain foods are like apples.

Our school lunches are $1.75

Hot food (two options), 4 fruit/veggie options daily--including fresh fruit, milk.

It is a huge district, and I'm sure they save money buying in bulk. We do participate in the Farm to School program on a limited basis (purchasing local produce).