Returning to school after a long summer break, students noticed a change in school lunch: either students got bigger or the entrees shrunk.
Until last year, students enjoyed “supersized” entrees — meaning the pizzas and subs students ate were twice the amount of food recommended by USDA’s MyPlate program, which promotes healthy food choices.
However, with the reauthorization of the National School Lunch Act, which provides free or reduced lunches to qualified students, participating schools were required to follow the updated nutritional standards set by the USDA.
“Every five years the USDA looks at the food nutritional analysis, and they felt that this was the year for a change,” lunch worker Pam Alt said.
Under the new nutritional standards, the district’s cafeterias are required to serve a limited amount of calories and sodium, resulting in the reduced sizes of lunch entrees. In addition, cafeterias must offer at least four fruits and vegetables and provide whole grains when serving pizza, subs, pasta and biscuit at lunch.
Meeting the standards meant new, healthier recipes and new ways to prepare the lunches for the cafeteria staff.
“We had some little classes we had to take before school started,” Alt said. “Our recipes have changed and our components have changed to more whole grains.”
Once the new menus are certified as meeting the new requirements, the district will get an additional 6 cents per meal, said Lindsey Morgan, the district’s food service supervisor.
Besides the smaller, pre-portioned meals, students find they have to take a side of fruit or vegetable to complete their meal — even if they don’t want it. If they do not have a side of fruit or vegetable, lunch workers add one to the tray at checkout.
“The policy aimed to foster the kind of healthy changes at school that many parents are already trying to encourage at home, such as making sure that kids are offered both fruits and vegetables each day, more whole grains, and portion sizes and calorie counts designed to maintain a healthy weight,” Morgan said.
In the previous years, students had to take a main dish and one side for a meal. This year, students have to take three items. One of those three must be a half a cup of fruit or vegetable. Most students already met the “healthy” fruit or vegetable requirement by taking tri-tators as a side dish.
Yes, tri-tators count as vegetables.
“They are baked not fried and they are portioned to an appropriate serving size,” Morgan said. “There is always a balance at the high schools when competing with off-campus places to eat.”
Some students question whether the changes will make a difference.
“They are promoting more healthier food but [I think] selection hasn’t changed. They are just presented more differently,” senior Michael Latham said.
However, the regulations will become more stringent each year, and the district hopes the changes are beneficial.
“It’s a good change. You know, if you’re looking out for a person’s long-term life, this is a good place to start watching what you eat, learning your healthy plate,” Alt said. “Healthy choices are what we hope they [students] make.”