National School Lunch Week Is A Farce

IF "Healthy school meals contribute to academic achievement and more productive days in the classroom", then why does the same organization making this statement offer processed, over priced non-nutritional garbage to our youth for lunch?

It is national school lunch week, and I am disgusted with the contents of our lunch selections. This week alone the menu consists of:

Monday:

Cheese Nachos or Hot Dog

Seasoned Corn

Assorted Fruit (not fresh)

Milk

Tuesday:

Johnny Marzetti or Texas grilled cheese

Tomato Soup

Assorted Fruit

Milk

Wednesday:

Pancakes w Sausage or Asian Vegtables w Rice

Hashbrown Patty

Assorted Fruit

Milk

Thursday:

Chicken cheese burrito or Cheesy Bread

Seasoned Green Beans

Assorted Friut

Milk

So, I am not a nutritionist and I do have so much more to learn about this topic. However, It doesn't take a dietitian to see that these lunches are full of complex carbohydrates. Certainly, most of this menu is tainted with high fructose corn syrup, pesticides, preservatives and artificial ingredients. Where is the real food? The fresh fruit and vegetables? A good source of protein?

Is it no wonder our children are struggling academically and socially? Yet alone, they are faced with childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes at higher rates than ever before. As they face a depletion of essential nutrients their minds, bodies, and emotions are suffering. I once read an article that said it would cost the parents $4 per lunch to provide a lunch like I am advocating...

There is no way a parent is going to shuffle out $20 per kid per week for lunch, right? Maybe or maybe not... I can't answer that.

But, I am not so sure that a healthy lunch would cost that much. I am not sure where they get there numbers... I spend probably half of that amount on fresh foods for lunches per child per week. (which is still less than the amount I'd be spending if I were to purchase their lunches from the current school cafeteria menu.) Knowing that the companies providing lunches would purchase in bulk, I don't know how they come up with these numbers.