I don't know about other states but, I know about Alabama. At our district we serve a whole grain each day for lunch, two dark green vegetable each week and a orange vegetable each week. We have fresh fruit 3 times a week. We have not fried foods in over 5 years. Fries are only served 1 time a week, they are baked and they only get a 3 oz. portion. The chicken nuggets that we served have a whole grain breading on them. All of our breads are whole grain/whole wheat. The pastas are whole grains and the rice is brown rice. We also serve a dried bean or pea 1 time a week. Our menus follow the HealthierUS School Challenge guidelines. These articles like this gives all schools a bad name and all schools are not like that. Where can you get a meat, bread, vegetable, fruit and milk for $1.75 that meets the nutritional guidelines set by the USDA.

After being invited to eat lunch with my oldest daughter at school when she was in 3rd grade I vowed to make my children lunch everyday from that point on. We were served stale white bread loaded with mayonaise and what I think was suppose to be luncheon meat with chocoate milk that came in bags and I believe chips and a piece of fruit that was bruised and bad looking. And....this was on parent day! It's been 19 years since that terrible lunch and for the rest of my oldest daughters time in school she brought her lunch every single day. My youngest wanted to try lunch a few times in her senior year of high school and that was only a handful of times, she also brought her lunch every day.

We offer fresh fruit and veggies each and everyday to the kids, fries once a week 2 1/4 oz, no getting an extra one! Garden Salad is always one of the three entrees offered each day, hamburgers/cheeseburgers offered once a week on whole wheat buns, pasta is whole grain Our meals are also $1.75 for lunch, we haven't fried food in over 5 years, either, everything is either baked, or steamed! It must be a southern state kind of thing! We, in Texas, are also following the USDA nutritional guidelines!

Could you please name the city in Alabama that serves this food because I'm curious as to whether or not all schools in Alabama do the same since just the opposite has been stated. Hopefully it is the entire state of Alabama which the schools are feeding the children properly. Thank you.

In response to the the person who complained about people complaining and giving school lunches a bad name; I think you should eat those lunches for a year. The kids don't eat the vegetables the majority of the time. You can put it on their plate but they are tasteless. Some places offer kids a bigger variety depending on their age and the economy of the school. Most grade school kids don't get choices. They should get fresh fruit daily. Someone needs to do a study on how many vitamins are in the canned fruit and vegies. I bet there are very litttle. Feed them what you want to eat at your place of work daily. My child never eats a school lunch. I send fresh fruit and vegetables, its the only way you can be sure of their nutrition. R.J. Shults

I am a kitchen manager at an elementary school in idaho and we serve great lunches, stirfry, salmon patties full service salad bar fresh fruit and veggies everyday, no nuggets no ketchup and portion ranch on my menu......guess what they throw it away. how do you contend with 40 years of bad eating habits handed down and our parents are working harder than ever for less money and groceries keep going up but their pay isn't . what really upsets me is the food that we get from the government is subpar at best.... and thats what your government and mine says is healthly for our kids, its what they send us. Lunchladies I find are career women I am the youngest at 7 years its a job they love and yes they don't have alot to work with , if you really want to help them go to a school board meeting and tell the people in charge what you want. The lunchlady is uaually the last to know .

Here is a response to RJ: we as lunchladies, CANNOT force any child to put fresh fruit or veggies on their tray! We offer it, but can't force a child to choose it! Even if we could, they probably wouldn't eat it anyway! All schools that are partcipating in the Federal Government Free and Reduced Program have to adhere to the USDA guidelines! Good to you, for packing your children's lunches with fresh fruits and veggies, I wish more parents would follow your lead! My biggest complaint is that we all want to blame it on the schools, it starts with the parents!

This Alabama school lunch plan does not sound like a typical public school lunch.Kudos to them but I wonder if it is a city state or federal funded school and if so, why do they get this kind of wholesome food and other schools do not.

I noticed that my daughter gains more weight eating in the school cafeteria... When I make her healthy lunch she tends to loose weight ... that is why I give her lunch from home... Plus, it makes it easier to know what she is eating since we also do not eat Pork.... Parents, need to find out what their children are eating in their school.. Not all school supply what is in the menu... :(

Although the school lunches in some states appear to be taking on the cutting edge for food. There are certain things that are missing. It is called balance. A wonderful resource for understanding how to balance your meals in correct portions, I would reccommend anyone to read, The Zone, by Dr. Barry Sears. Many schools, although they serve vegetables twice a week and breaded chicken are serving way too mand carbs and not enough protein for each child. After working as a teacher in a military school, and seeing the effects that the lunches had on my students, it is so clear to me that a revamp of the food pyramid and the school lunches need to be implemented.

Jamie Oliver did a show this summer on this same issue. I do wish that school lunches were more nutritional. It would save the healthcare industry billions of dollars in the end when these children grow up and do not need to see the Dr. so often because of their sicknesses due to improper diets which began in the school cafeteria.

I'm a teacher in the Enterprise City School District in Alabama, and I can attest that we follow the healthy menu outlined by the USDA. Lots of whole grains, plenty of vegetable offerings, salads offered every day, etc. I eat school lunch every day by choice, because it's GOOD!

I live in Spokane, WA and when I was in elementary school the food really stunk. The number-one most disgusting elementary food of all time? The hot-dogs. Many kids had gone home sick after they had eaten hot-dogs, when they had felt fine before. I myself avoided the hotdogs, and managed to have to only buy them once because that's what was left. I decided to eat the side dishes and just tough it out. Even the best of eaters (meaning the ones not picky) would steer clear of the hotdogs. My advice, have your kid(s) pack lunch, it's the safest way too go!

even the best bread will erase pencil... did u take physics in school?

Well said! As a mother who is expected to be the primary and would like (and expected) parenting to be a more equitable responsibility, I applaud your complaint. It offends both the male and female parent, not to mention the gay-lesbian couples raising kids. How sexist, out-of-date, one-sided, and thoughtless could such a major news show, such as the Today Show, be in 2010!?!? Mom in Iowa.

tk1966 AND TanyaC- relax!!. No one is trying to offend dads. Its kind of like how people associate firemen as MEN and not women. Its just a statistic kind of thing that means no disrespect. The problem with people today is that everyone is offended by everything. Chill out & stop taking things as a personal attack. Its like taking God out the pledge,not being able to say Merry Christmas...all in fear of "offending someone". I say everyone chill the hell out & say whatever you want; however you want....freedom of speech.. Single dads are awesome and very much respected & appreciated but seriously...get a grip. Your welcome onto this food discussion as any parent...but lets focus on what its about & not because they forgot to mention DAD.

mn1114, you think YOU'RE offended?! Try being a gay dad some time! I'm assuming you're not. If so, then I apologize for the assumption and you clearly must understand the bias against same-sex parents that happen to be dads. My husband and I highly invested in our son's welfare. Which is why this article interested me. I guess I've learned to just overlook the whole mom-bias since we live in a heterocentric society to begin with. But I agree with you, dads are often seen as the less interested parent of the two sexes. It's 2010, come on people! Get with the times already!

You must feel really inferior to make so many comments about the poor, unappreciated fathers. I believe this for comments about school lunches.

I dont understand why parents compalin about the school lunch. If you dont like and agree with what they are preparing then pack your childs lunch. I have 4 children 1 school age. The first 3 years he attend school not once did he eat school lunch only until this year he asked if he can eat school lunch because his friends at school were doing it. I requested a monthly lunch menu and I decide if he will take lunch or eat lunch at school. Parents you have the power to decide what healthy foods your children are eating during the day EVERYDAY!

I disagree with the statement that this is site is being discriminating against dads. 'Cmon. There is no disrespect intended here. There are firemen, policemen, etc. I dont take offense to that. That is how is used to be and it used to be the Moms that took care of the kids. Just go with the flow. The information provided on this page is interesting and that is what it was intended to be in my opinion. I work in a school kitchen and while some of the food may have a funny look, it is all delicious and cooked with love. We see all of these kids as an extended family and want them to only have the best food that we can provide.

I like your comments DAD tk1966 and I have to add that my husband is a wonderful dad and takes as much if not more on than myself. And we have several single dad and mom friends that are excellent primary caregivers. It should be labled "parents" rather than mom.

No, an article about school lunches is not the place to air this grievence. But since you started it... how about yelling at all the worthless dads out there instead of complaining that the few good ones there are, aren't included in a meaningless title. Maybe if more men (like those of you that care enough to read this article in the first place) spoke up and society wasn't so accepting of deadbeats, dads would have a bigger place in the media. But until men are expected to step up and take an active roll in their childrens' lives, instead of congratulated for it, it will continue to be a mom's job. Why is it that men want a pat on the back for doing something they should do without question? Why is it that mom's aren't given credit for being there, just expected?

Yes, there are some amazing dads out there. And they do deserve recognition, just the same as all the moms that are there every day. Yes, there are some awful mothers out there too. And it doesn't matter if a kid has 2 moms or 2 dads or any other variation possible, as long as both parents take an active part in their lives. But if you want to get offended, get offended at what is truly offensive. And just in case you missed my point, that's not name of this article.

tk1966,

Relax will ya? The majority of parenting is by Mothers. I wish it were not the case. I wish my husband hadn't left me with two young sons either. I am a single Mom not by choice, but here I am. Everyone gets their collective panties (err...should I say briefs) all bunched up about things that do not matter. Whether an article uses a feminine word rather than the more usual masculine form, so what? Whether you are male or female, gay or straight, raising kids is tough and we try to get information wherever we can.

singlemom you have it all backwards. men are deadbeat dads because the media (such as this site) says that the main caregiving parenting role is suppose to be the mother.

mn-who said tk was a single dad, just because he is the primary caregiver, you jump to the conclusion that the mom must not be around.... that says something about our society and the way we think about gender roles in the family.

tk- I applaud you for being the primary caregiver. Good for you! My dad was also the parent who brought me up before I went off to pre-K. My mother was the breadwinner. I think I came out just fine :)

sheesh, get off your high horse, .....

we know women are not the only caregivers, and there are lots of men out there that do a wonderful job....

However, there are men out there like my husband who hasnt got a clue.... and if asked about his kids... (well lets just say he is an empty chalk board) he is totally unaware of what goes on in his kids life.

Most of the time, his answer is I dont know, or I dont remember what it was like to be a kid. He doesnt have an opinion and really could careless what his kids are eating for lunch.

As for this article.... you did not contribute to it one bit.

You only did what you think was best to raise yourself up, and to lower everyone else on the thread.

think twice before you post next time.... there is an old saying My Mother use to say (I bet YOUR MOM DID TOO) If you havent got anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut.

Hey TK....typical is all I can say. Did you have a "lunch" comment on what your kids eat at their school?

Umm...We're discussing a school lunch issue, not your manhood.

THEN DONT EXCLUDE URSELF AND STAY ON TOPIC!!! damn dude are u blonde?

My husband gets our kids off to school everyday! I have to leave very early for my JOB a hour away and I also work12 hour swing shift! He more or less does it all. My kids say that lunch at there school Pope County Illinois is fine. You all know how kids are they will eat only certain things.So they will take there lunch half the time.

lg72350

singlemom you have it all backwards. men are deadbeat dads because the media (such as this site) says that the main caregiving parenting role is suppose to be the mother.

Did you really just blame the media for men that don't pay child support, change diapers, or generally care about their children? WOW... That's taking responsibilities for your own actions. Good job on passing the buck.

People who say this isnt meant to offend fathers may have some sort of correct mind-set, but you didnt create the site, so you dont know. Maybe this site was created by 10 snooty ladies who feel as if fathers are a bunch of oafs who contribute nothing to their children. As you assume no offense is meant, you bring up the real issue. You do not know if offense was or was not intentional, so why say that you do?

As a former public school teacher and mother.. I think it's funny that Daddy X is changing the subject.. of poorly balanced nutrionally devoid school lunches to DARNIT! It's just not fair what I have to endure as a father! Whine somewhere else.. this is about the kid's lunches..The school lunches are packed with useless quick fix carbs that will allow the children to sit through another three hours of bad education! Why is it that you're up in arms as to what's going in their little brains as well as what's going in their little bellies.. YES you should worry.. I quit teaching public school after 30 years when I had a child of my own finally! I was appalled at what garbage she was given to eat and the amount of time the school was with my precious baby.. what she was picking up from a bunch of people I wouldn't leave in control of our family dog. We must be so cautious. I want you to ask yourself how great the FDA guidelines are when most of this nation is obese!? and have diabetes. Did you know they can't even drink water all day except at the fountain? How will they come home? Dehydrated and hungry.. and bored to tears I Warrant.

Really??? It's when our children are growing that it's most important for them to eat healthy foods. No wonder we have such a problem with obesity and diabetes in our youth and young adults.

And they're always hungry afterwards. One doesn't eat it; the other eats it and says it isn't enough; unless he wants to get two, he starves. The third is out of school now and provides for his own lunch.

mymy kid's grammer school chose not to have the federal lunch program because they did not have a say in what was served so us parents, mostly the mothers made lunches every single day of school. Our kids ate better and did better in their classes.

The person who said that dads are deadbeats because of the media is an idiot, sorry, poor excuse for not being a parent to your kids!

I am a cafeteria worker at our high school. The only time the children need to take a milk or juice is when they are on free or reduced lunches. To qualify for the free or reduced lunch/ breakfast there needs to be a certain amount of items. In our system they need 3 items to qualify. When they only have 2 we suggest that they take a milk or a juice otherwise they will have to pay for their meal and so many cannot. Many of them give their juice or milk to other students. Not often do we see them throw it out. If a child is purchasing their lunch it is up to them what they want. We do not force them to have milk.

I also might add that if they do not want a milk or juice they also can get a fresh fruit (We have raisins, bananas, peaches, pears, oranges, or apples to choose from).

The only time our kids need to "take" a milk is when it is an early release day and we offer sack lunches! Milk is an optional side item in my school district in Texas!

it is not a federal requirement.. It is a local school board decision..

my children don't drink milk- they are allowed to get hot lunch occasionally

and when they do, they get bottled water..

we are from Northern VA..

I spent three years working as a cafeteria/recess aide in an elementary school. If the kids didn't drink the milk, they put it on a table in the front of the cafeteria. Kids who wanted a second milk were encouraged to take one. The same thing was done with fresh fruit and salads that were uneaten, although there were very few of those uneaten. Perhaps part of what we need to be concerned about is what the kids will and will not eat. By the time they start kindergarten or first grade, many have their minds set about what they will and will not try. Exposure to healthy food at home from the beginning needs to be part of any government nutrition plan. You can have all the healthy food you want in a school lunch but you can't make a child eat it.

I have been a lunch lady for 18 years and you have it wrong..If the program is offer vs serve, which it sounds like it is.. then the child must take 3 out of 5 nutritional foods offered. For example, a hamburger on a whole wheat bun and a banana would be 3 items, a bread, a protein and a fruit. Milk does not have to be part of it. You must have 3 to make it a reimbursable meal. Each school district is given so many $$ to go towards their lunch program. Ask your schools director of food services to explain it to you. A lot of parents are misinformed and give us a bad rap. Call us, don't always believe what your child says about your schools program. Also, the food is "specially formulated" so that is does meet govt guidelines for protein, fat, etc..We have what is called a CN(child nutrition) label that means it meets those guidelines. Please get informed on this.

I am a school cook. NO child is forced to take milk under the federal guidelines. A child needs 3 components in order to have a reimbursible lunch: dairy product, bread product, vegetable, fruit and protien product (this is the only mandatory item). We offer fresh fruit daily. We also offer salad bar as an entree choice every day, with choice of five dressings. Most of our meals are made from scratch. We do also use meat patties, such as chicken, burgers, hot dogs, etc. For our deli sandwiches, we slice the meat ourselves that morning. We do not fry anything. French Fries when served are baked. We do our best to serve nutrional, as well as tasty lunches every day.

So are you saying that if I don't complain about this form of discriminatory behavior, you and other women won't complain about financial and emotional disrespect? That is a productive way to handle the situation...

Thats not the case at all, just as many women disrespect men emotionally as men disrespect women. You're not living in the 1800's where women recieved little respect, could hardly get a job and men were ungrateful about almost everything women do. You're living in a time where women can be presidents and are treated nearly the same as men, maybe you should count your blessings.

P.S. Maybe you would get a little more respect from men if you didnt make idiotic comments like that!

knock that off..

personally insulting people is not going to solve anything.. as we are parents on this blog, shouldn't we act like adults?

First of all.. I'd like to say that most people that are commenting on here are adults. None of this looks like adults conversing.. instead it looks like a bunch of middle schoolers fighting over who gets to date who. What kind of example are you setting for the younger kids who do happen to read this? are they supposed to think it's okay to act the way you are acting right now. Yes, everyone has the freedom to say what they want but it can be done in a little nicer manner.

I just graduated from high school and HATED eating school lunch! I also did not have the privilege of bringing a sack lunch because I could not afford it. Instead, I ate Ramen noodles almost everyday for lunch because they were cheap and they tasted good. They are not healthy by any means but atleast I didn't go hungry. I was also an athlete so if i didn't eat lunch, I would eat once a day anywhere from 630 until 1030 at night when i got home from practice or games. My school served mainly hotdogs, "soyburgers", pizza, chicken nuggets, corn dogs or chicken patties. Some of the other stuff they served was not recognizable and definately nothing I would ever try to eat. You can't tell me that what they were serving was healthy for me. We too had fries about once a week. high schoolers were the last to eat so if there was left overs, we were allowed to go back for a smaller second portion. We also had one serving of fruit OR vegetables daily. I can guarantee that 75% of these were thrown away because they were tasteless.. and this is coming from someone who LOVES veggies. I came from a small school and we never had a choice of what to eat until my senior year in high school . That is when they started offering a salad and bread daily that you could get with your meal. However, the salad consisted of iceberg lettuce and cheese with your choice of dressing.. can you tell me the nutritional value in that? The salads do not make lunches any healthier but they might fill you up a little bit. The only reason we started getting this choice was because we got a whole group of students together and went to a school board meeting and expressed our opinion. we also talked to the superintendant, the principle, and the lunch ladies numerous times before we got anywhere. The portions you get even as a high schooler are ridiculous and there is no way it could fill a person up.

Not to mention.. as a high school student.. we could choose between the breakfast that was on the menu or a ROLL... A ROLL!! really?! these were offered every morning! however, that is was i picked when i ate breakfast only because the normal breakfast was nasty. Now you can't tell me that this does not lead to obeseity... School lunch.. and breakfast is a JOKE! I'm sure that if all adults knew exactly what their kids were eating day after day that they would pay a little extra to know that their kids are getting a healthier and more balanced meal daily. i know if i had children that i definately would!

That would be great, but I'm sure it's not in our public school budget. My kids aren't even allowed to take their books home to study anymore. I'd much rather make their lunch and also be able to help them study at night.

I concur wit Terri-63. My mother was the pastry chef for 10 years and my Aunt worked as a lunch lady for about 7. I remember when my mother came home on the last day of school and informed my siblings and I that they would no longer be cooking at school. We assumed that she had been fired (which we quickly found out that that was not the case.)

She told us that to save money in the schools that administration was switching over to precooked entrees and desserts. This was back in 1998. We all thought that was going to be a great thing for the lunch ladies. Well, it was great for them, but the quality of the foods suffered emensely!

My mother went to her supervisor and was informed that the dicision was for the change was based on the cutbacks on government funding to the school systems. This was a way to improvise and cut back on how much time was spent on the clock. Before, they clocked in at 6:15 am. This gave them 45 mins. to prepare enough food for 650 kids. With 6 employees and ther supervisor, this was do-able.

Now, the supervisor comes in at 6:30 to heat up the ovens before the "cooks" come in. The cooks clock in at 6:50 am, heat up the trays, and have them on the lines by 7:15. By 8 am, those kids that needed to eat have done so and the lunch ladies are gearing up for the 10:30 lunch crowds.

I have 3 school aged kids, they receive free/reduced lunches, but I send them to school with a bag lunch as often as possible. I got tired of my kids coming home hungry or sick from eating something they wasn't sure about. Thank God, my youngest is a picky eater.

So yeah, it saved the school some dough to friviosly spend "God only knows where". Because they sure don't seem to be putting it back into the schools.

it depends if the Principle will work with you, some have no time to be concerned with the food, and just make sure there is hot food available.. there is a major funding shortages for most schools in this country.. as more and more is expected from teachers and schools with less and less money

Some families are so poor that the school lunch might be the only square meal the child is receiving. Sad, but true. A lot of children at our local elementary school are on the "hot lunch" (aka free school lunch) program. I'll be able to pack my own kids' lunches when they start school, but not all of the people who live in the government subsidized housing down the street will be able to.

There are so many people living in poverty here that the school lunch is the ONLY meal that a child gets each day. The schools here even open in the summer to serve meals to these children. It is a sad reality. I too pack my kids lunches each day because the few times I have gone and had lunch at my childs school, it has not been good. While my kids school still serves the mystery meat and the sandwich with the velveta like cheese, they also have a salad bar and many choices of fresh fruit and steamed vegetables. Many schools are trying, however, they are the first on the chopping block when state budgets are cut.

So long as I have to send my kids to subpar public schools (since the only other option here are private schools that cost more per month than my rent), they should at least provide lunch. And regardless of whether or not I pay for their lunch, that lunch should be healthy and tasty.

I work at an elementary school, if a child is not on the free and reduced program and does not have at least $1.00 of the $1.75 of the lunch price, they are given a cheese sandwich and a milk! It is not the responsibility of the school cafeteria to make sure that child has money on their account, it is the PARENT'S!

well, I don't really want to be flamed for this.. when sex ed was ceased in schools and the access to birth control was restricted and the picketing and closings of many planned parenthood (which provides far more free birth control) a large amount of children were born, ones that everyone was so concerned that they were born, but afterwords- no one cares about

I'm sorry you feel it is unfair not to be able to simply walk into your school and see what your children or having for lunch or where your tax dollars are being spent. However, flipside, you should be thankful you can't. How exactly is the school supposed to know "you" are the parent and not some nut walking in to either kill your child or kidnap them! Please, you must be a young parent who NEVER watches the news. That safety is not only for other children, BUT, your child as well. :)

Let me tell you just how it used to be--there never was a broccoli, a fresh vegetable or salad--this would have been in the late '30's, early 40's. Yes the little sweet hair netted ladies would bake wonderful Hot Rolls but that's only what the kids would eat. And we wonder about obesity in the elderly.now.

Evidently the budget is very tight in most schools, and the reps from the major food companies are very instrumental in "guiding" the purchasing. That is simply false that the foods obtained from or through the food school lunch program is "specially formulated" for little mouth. A chicken nugget is a chicken nugget and so on.

I challenge you Moms and Dads to insist upon a "lay committee, if you will, to meet with the Food Service administrators and school board, if appropriate, and get some DDS and MD's on your team to protest. It does take some work, but I believe it should be possible to make a change.

Or call the local TV station...........

My concerns are with you!

Love to all those kids out there, young or old!

The reason you have to check in with the office is because the schools are keeping a closer eye on security in the buildings. We cannot have people running all over the schools anymore.

Parents need to check in...just look here in Oregon ..7 year old Kyron Horman disappearing from school. Instead of complaining about it you should be thankful that your school is watching our for your child. I don't understand, if you don't like the school lunches, don't buy them. It doesn't sound like very many of you responding are on the free lunch program and don't use the old I work and don't have the time, it doesn't take that long to make a lunch.

be more active in your class if you are concerned, volunteer!

in the class, in the library- join the PTA.. become aware of whats going on..

you'll never know whats going on if you don't find out the whys of it

Maybe you should consider volunteering to help out at lunch time and teach those kids. Most elementary schools in our town have parents who volunteer, whether it's to tutor in math, science or reading--or help at lunch time and recess.

Dietician? What school district pays for a licensed Diatician? Not ours and we are in an affluent disctrict.

Our 'lunch ladies' are all oversized as well. They need to stop serving the processed carbs and get with the proteins and veggies needed to slim down this countries kids, especially with the epidemic of childhood diabetes. This is where the lunch program is failing our children.

You'd think by the responses on here that the only time most of these kids eat is at school. Get a clue parents! They eat what you eat and I'd be willing bet that most of you are taking the kids out for ice cream, burgers, pizzas and you have potato chips, soda and juice drinks at home. I stopped worrying about what all my kid eats at school lunch because kids graze on the "ice cream" foods they like, and then hopefully you are preparing them something decent to eat at home. My 14 year old daughter won't even eat the school pizza, which comes from a reputable take and bake place each Friday, because the school doesn't prepare the pizza properly and it's undercooked or soggy. Sh eats broccoli, caulflower, green and lima beans, asparagus and steamed artichokes. All our veges are served steamed or quick cooked from frozen. We eat pastas with various sauces, potatoes, rice, couscous, and a variety of grilled or baked fish and meats. We almost never fry anything at home. She never ever drinks milk except with cookies. So I provided fortified fresh squeezed juices instead. Oh, I've yet to meet many kids or like salads, though you can usually get them to eat most raw veges and lettuce with ranch dressing.

Amen, Amanda, from a "fellow" lunchlady! We are just doing what we are being told to do by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!

I must stand up for thelunch ladies. Most are parents and are repulsed by what is served. Unfortunately the Feds are involved and each state and each county adds thier guidelines and now you have slop soup. My grandsons school does not allow home lunch's, as they might have food that is not in the guidelines or something the other kids are not getting, like food they would like. The lunch room overseer is a tyrant and only concerned as to the prophit margin. My daughter-in-law worked for some years and made fresh bread every day. However the tyrant wanted out -of-date foods used and cut all corners. Couldn't take no more and quit. Do not blame the staff for what is not thiers to control. You must go to the poweres that be. Oh, they are upgrading the kitchen to better heat the typical foods that are mass produced to be nutrionally correct. HA HA

Really? Federal.. Most Schools go by their school boards and counties.

They are not being told what to do, but they are given so much in money.. it's rather lazy to blame the Federal Government when it's the local that has the control... But we all know that the Principles like to lay the blame there

@Jericho-2807026

Actually, the principle only has control over the school itself, not the kitchen and it's staff. That is controlled by a totally different entity. As I had stated previously, my mother and Aunt worked for the system for 10 and 7 years. An I know this due to a serious disagreement between the kitchen supervisor and the principle. The principle tried to fire the super and was corrected on the spot that he had no authority to do such since he was not her boss and did not sign her paycheck. He finished out the school year and transfered and the kitchen supervisor eventually retired 6 years later from the same school, (without and recoil or repremand.)