How to Compare School Lunches

On any given day, one out of every five children had access to a salad bar at school.

In some schools around the country, the meals being served are the same ones that your parents ate. In other schools, cafeteria food is evolving to include healthier options. Of course, this evolution can take its toll on the price of the food. There are several factors to consider when comparing the lunches your child eats to the lunches served in other schools.

Cost

How much a student pays for a school lunch really depends on which school the student is attending. The Clark County School District in Nevada charges $1.75 for an elementary school lunch. Meanwhile, Bethlehem Central School District has announced that an elementary student's lunch will cost $3 for the 2010-2011 school year. While the administrators in the Bethlehem Central School District are attributing the rising costs of school lunches to the quality of the food served, there is always a possibility that families will find the price too high and refuse to pay. That is exactly what has happened in the U.K. In January 2010, the Telegraph reported that the 13 percent increase in school lunch prices over the past three years has resulted in a widespread refusal to purchase school lunches. The article asserted that less than half of the primary school students were still eating the food provided in the dining halls.

Sodium

At Chicago Public Schools, eating a serving of nachos for lunch means consuming about 1,100 milligrams of sodium. Food served for lunch and dinner at college cafeterias are also laden with sodium. In the winter 2008-2009 edition of a newsletter released by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, a new goal was announced that involved reducing the amount of sodium in school lunches to 1,300 milligrams of sodium. These numbers are frightening when you consider that only 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day for anyone over age 8 is the maximum recommended by Dr. Helen Minciotti, health columnist for a Chicago newspaper. Fortunately, not all schools are limiting their menus to salt-laden pizzas and french fries. A report released in April 2002 by the United States Department of Agriculture asserted that 21 percent of public schools offered a salad bar option for at least one lunch per week. The report also found that on any given school day, one out of every five children had access to a salad bar. More raw fruits and vegetables in schools can be a big help in reducing the amount of sodium in meals.

Student Interest

Students are very vocal about what they want to see on their plates. On March 24, 2010, students in Chicago made sure their negative opinions of the standard fare were heard at a Board of Education meeting. A common misconception is that students want salty, fatty foods, but that idea is quickly being dispelled. Schools in Colorado challenged students to cook school lunches for 10,000 of their counterparts, and most of the meals served were very healthy. The winning meal was a sloppy Joe sandwich made with lean meat and a whole wheat bun. The sandwich was paired with jicama-apple coleslaw.

References

• Clark County School District: Food Service Department
• Bethlehem Central School District: Price of school lunch to increase in 2010-11
• Telegraph: Pupils shun expensive school dinners
• Chicago Tribune: Nachos for lunch? Yes, every day
• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: School Nutrition News, Winter 2008-2009 - If Burger King Can Do It, So Can We!

Resources

• Daily Herald: Take a stand against salty snacks - Too much sodium puts kids at risk
• USDA: Nutrition Assistance Program Report Series - School Lunch Salad Bars
• Voice of America: Student Chefs Cook Up Healthy Lunches