Fed Up With School Lunch? You Aren't Alone

It's very trendy right now to pay lip service to the idea that America's kids should eat healthier. Michelle Obama has just kicked off a big campaign to fight childhood obesity, but will this mean real change for the nation's kids or just a tiny green garnish on the big plate of corn dog nuggets served up every day in schools across the United States?

Teachers are tired of watching their students bounce off the walls after a meal of red food dye, corn syrup and breaded commodity chicken. One such teacher - "Mrs. Q" - has taken her frustration to the blogosphere, where she is showing the world what her kids are forced to eat every day, by ordering her own school lunch and photographing the evidence. At her school, absolutely everything aside from the rare fresh apple comes pre-packaged and re-heated in a plastic film.

Believe it or not, Tacoma's kids are actually luckier than many in that they at least have the option to choose one or two fresh fruit/vegetable items a day, alongside the ubiquitous canned stuff. Although everything seems to be re-heated from off-site sources, they do at least get real trays and silverware and the choice of a salad instead of that day's entree.

Still, we don't do well enough by our kids by a long shot. Although our lunch menus include lots of handy nutrition advice on the backside, the actual menu includes weeks of food like the following:

(March 1st-5th)
Monday: Crispy Chicken Nuggets
Tuesday: Hamburger on Whole Wheat Bun
Wednesday: Soft Tacos (with yummy mechanically separated beef)
Thursday: Beefy Gravy (No one eats this, it all lands in the trash.)
Friday: Pizza

Breakfast options feature items like pizza pockets and pancake and sausage on a stick.

How can schools lecture kids (and parents) about healthy food choices and then serve corn dogs one day followed by pepperoni & cheese bites the next? How can any school lunch program offer parents helpful advice on time-saving recipes, whilst feeding kids "uncrustable" pre-packaged PB&J sandwiches?

Tacoma's choices don't exist in a vacuum. Our school lunch program is a national disgrace, but one we can't afford not to remedy.

In some industrialized nations, school children are served healthy, filling meals any mom would be proud to feed her child. Can we really say we are a superpower if the best we can offer our school children is cow parts swept off the slaughter house floor?

Fortunately, the Obama administration has ended the practice of serving up meat from cows so sick they can no longer stand. But despite the First Lady's high profile anti childhood obesity campaign, the President's budget has alloted only 20 cents more per child per day for the school lunch program. That's only one fifth of what advocates are requesting as a baseline to start working toward meaningful school lunch reform.

If you think mechanically separated, ammonia-treated meat coated with whole grain powder, deep fried and served alongside a "fruit" icee does not constitute proper fuel for the next generation of American citizens, write your congresspeople, take your own school lunch photos, and stop by and thank Mrs. Q for having the ovaries to put her job at risk by bring this issue to light.

In the meantime, this mama is going to try to turn over a new leaf and prepare more meals from home.

Uncrustables photo by Lisa Dean Photography