Why School Cafeterias Are Dishing Out Fast Food:
It is wonderful that the USDA has theses standards out, but how much are they are being followed or if the food being offered in schools is even healthy. An article written by Deborah Lehmann discusses how at high schools and elementary schools around the United States are serving fast food to their students. In Oklahoma they have a Chick - Fil- A, in New York a Pizza Hut, in California a Panda Express, a Little Caesar's and even a fast food burrito chain. Having these chains in elementary schools obviously do not promote healthy eating nor take into full account what is actually in it.
It is giving students the taste for fast food more and more- but school cafeteria directors are saying they need to have these brand name distributors in their program to make enough money to keep serving food in general. The most important thing to these directors is increasing the amount of lunches they sell because that's the main source of keeping the lunch program running. The government support covers about half the expenses in an average cafeteria to allow for the free and reduced lunch program. Because there is only half of the program covered by the government they need to keep their income up by selling these brand name lunches and keep students buying them. When students see the brand name they a more likely to buy from their versus what the school provides. It is also important to note that when they have providers come in from food chains the cost is cheaper than the school making and producing food themselves.
Lehmann says, "Meal program directors say the brand-name items they serve are nutritious because they’re tweaked to meet the USDA requirements for school meals. The slices of pizza, for example, get a health boost from low-fat cheese and a whole-wheat crust." Everything that is being sold in the schools technically meets the requirements of the USDA but it is still fueling students to eat and want fast food.
Since the fast food chains bring in so much revenue for the school it is hard for the school to want to get rid of them.
To read the full article, here is the link:
It is wonderful that the USDA has theses standards out, but how much are they are being followed or if the food being offered in schools is even healthy. An article written by Deborah Lehmann discusses how at high schools and elementary schools around the United States are serving fast food to their students. In Oklahoma they have a Chick - Fil- A, in New York a Pizza Hut, in California a Panda Express, a Little Caesar's and even a fast food burrito chain. Having these chains in elementary schools obviously do not promote healthy eating nor take into full account what is actually in it.
It is giving students the taste for fast food more and more- but school cafeteria directors are saying they need to have these brand name distributors in their program to make enough money to keep serving food in general. The most important thing to these directors is increasing the amount of lunches they sell because that's the main source of keeping the lunch program running. The government support covers about half the expenses in an average cafeteria to allow for the free and reduced lunch program. Because there is only half of the program covered by the government they need to keep their income up by selling these brand name lunches and keep students buying them. When students see the brand name they a more likely to buy from their versus what the school provides. It is also important to note that when they have providers come in from food chains the cost is cheaper than the school making and producing food themselves.
Lehmann says, "Meal program directors say the brand-name items they serve are nutritious because they’re tweaked to meet the USDA requirements for school meals. The slices of pizza, for example, get a health boost from low-fat cheese and a whole-wheat crust." Everything that is being sold in the schools technically meets the requirements of the USDA but it is still fueling students to eat and want fast food.
Since the fast food chains bring in so much revenue for the school it is hard for the school to want to get rid of them.
To read the full article, here is the link:
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/fast-food-school-cafeterias/