School Lunch Scares

School Lunch Scares

Madison Boehm, Public Relations

Obesity in kids is a rising epidemic in America and who is there to blame? Sure, we can say that the kids need to make smarter choices when it comes to food, but kids are forced to choose the better of the worst in North Hills Cafeterias.

The Café was supposed to give healthier options, but nothing has really changed other than the fact they eliminated regular Doritos and mini pancakes (Not the mini pancakes!!). It’s all okay though. The students are still getting their daily nutrients from the peanut butter and jellies. And the fake chicken nuggets we still serve. When congress passed the rule that they need to cut back on protein, I guess the school decided to get rid of the real chicken and replace it with the fake frozen chicken to obey that law. We are also supposed to have twice as many fruits and vegetables, but we see that didn’t happen. Plus, the processed fruit we do have are covered in whipped cream and sprinkles.

The school can also try to argue that they sell salads, but when the lettuce is brown, that doesn’t scream “buy me.”  The lines seem to be lacking in colorful and vibrant fruits and vegetables, because apparently the overwhelming amount of brown, whether we’re talking about the meat or the salad, is so much more satisfying than colors like red, orange, and green.  But who needs those when you can get all the food groups from the Papa John’s pizza? There’s the tomatoes for fruit, the greasy cheese for dairy, and the crust for the grains. And we can’t forget the order of fries on the side that our school calls a “vegetable.”

One would think that if you can’t find anything appetizing and healthy to eat in the lines, to head over to the “healthy” vending machines, but if they actually needed something with value, they’re better off keeping their money and walking away. The vending company has to be crazy think they can get away with calling their Poptarts and chips “healthy.” And I know what the consumer is thinking, “they say fat free.” But trust me, if students keep going to eat these foods, they are going to find out the hard way that they are not “fat free.”

I wish this was a joke, but this all is how our school has wiggled its way around the new rules for the cafeterias just to save some money. It’s not an impossible task though. Other schools are able to serve fresh food and have salad bars. But these schools didn’t spend a million dollars on a new library, even though the old one was perfectly fine. I guess the 3D printer that’s barely used is more important than the student’s health.