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School Lunches and the New Lunch Law

Schools took an effort at the task of giving children healthier lunch. Some complete their

jobs with ease and others find it difficult to provide quality lunches due to school funding.

District 214 said it wants to cut itself loose from National School Lunch and the $900,000

subsidy it receives because most of its food service revenue comes from the a la carte menu,

which sells things like pizza, fries and Subway sandwiches and generates $2.2 million. The

district also gets $543,000 in revenue from vending machines (Keilman). When schools lack the

correct tools to be able to establish a reliable economic source, being able to do their job

becomes harder. Some area school districts, including Maine Township High School District

207 and Niles Township High School District 219, have quit the federal program in recent years

because of the paperwork burden and other concerns, but the new snack regulations have stirred

a fresh round of criticism (Keilman). The heavy load of insufficient funding and boundless

paperwork on school officials, all becomes too much when trying to meet the demands. Schools

should be able to provide a free healthy balanced lunch to all students because students

who may be in need would benefit from the help, because providing a balanced lunch to

students promotes smart exceptional scholars, and because it leads students into a new

healthy lifestyle.

First of all, schools of all grade levels should obligate themselves with feeding students in

need free nutritional food. Students can not embrace healthy food when schools allow the same

type of quick carb loaded food with fewer calories to still be placed on the menu. Giving them

Local grown food allows them to get a new look on real health, and fresh choices (Siegel). The

value of having a healthy mind is also a healthy body. Underfeeding is no longer the problem.

Now, nearly a quarter of recruiting-age Americans are too overweight to serve, according to

Mission: Readiness, a group of 500 retired military officials who argue that school lunch trays

laden with junk food are a major culprit. Its leaders are confounded by the backlash against the
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new standards (Halper). When students have better health, they give better results in the

classroom. Providing students with nutritional food, like a lunch included with strong sources of

vitamins and minerals from local farms, benefits the students and stops the ongoing fight of

obesity and promotes intelligent students.

In addition, getting students to eat is not a problem, but getting them to eat something a

little more green is the challenge. Fewer student pick veggies as their choice from the school

menu, but the number of veggie eaters did increase by 20 percent (Hartford). Giving the

students replacement food which contains fewer carbs and fresh vegetable alternatives will not

only get students to eat more but also give them better nutrition. When incorporating healthier

options in school lunches, students gravitate more to fruit. Having a large selection means more

consumption of nutrition (Halper). The benefits of eating vegetables and fruits instead of high

carb foods is a more alert student. Students who are more energized will have a tendency to fall

asleep less in class and be more interactive.

There is no shock that Americans have an ongoing battle with health concerns due to

eating habits and the amount of food people eat. The past choices of school lunches has been

called as the reason of the ongoing result of child obesity (Halper). Replacing the same fried

foods in school lunch lines with whole wheat is not a bad substitution. However, when

considering that when students go through the lunch lines to get food the same favorable foods

that end up on their plates means that students are getting a large consumption of carbs and not

enough vitamins and nutrients from fruits and vegetables. A reporter for CNN money wrote, 11

a.m.: An earlier version of this article stated the name of the 2010 law that created new federal

nutritional standards for school meals as the Healthy School Meals Act. It is the Healthy, Hunger

Free Kids Act (Malter). Having the new school lunch law is a turn in the right direction to
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create a more healthy society. By starting with school lunches, today's students will be the first at

ending obesity for the following generations to come.

In America hunger has never been an issue for some people. Form the early

1990s to now 2016 the unique health issue of obesity is causing serious health concerns. In

schools, the value of the lunch is considered part of the problem. Adults in america set the

example for the youth, allowing health issues like obesity to take control. The School Breakfast

Program is expanding even faster. Last year, free breakfast was served to more than 10 million

children. Many school districts have started serving breakfast in the classroom, rather than in the

cafeteria, to increase participation. Study after study has shown that breakfast in school (and

specifically in the classroom) helps children learn and improves academic performance

(Malter). Feeding students free healthy breakfast in the morning does kick start their day on a

good note. When schools give breakfast they receive positive feedback and such feedback then

provokes a certain brightness and enlightenment out of each student and helps them with better

eating habits.

Schools budgets, which are told to have insufficient amounts take a bigger stretch when

adding in new lunch regulations. Also, putting pressure on the budgets is a push when trying to

serve healthier foods. The USDA updated its regulations for school lunches 3 years ago,

requiring districts to offer more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and less sodium and fat. But

69% of the districts surveyed by the School Nutrition Association said the new rules have

harmed the financial health of their nutritional programs (Malter). A good part of the school's

income comes from junk food and unhealthy snacks sold in cafeterias and vending machines.

Schools now have to find a way to increase their budgets in order to maintain the school itself.

Some parents are all for establishing healthy eating habits, others like a student mom from
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Keilman article feels differently. Eckhardt said he'd rather eat off-campus then choose the new

snacks and meals. His mother, Melinda Eckhardt, also dislikes the changes, especially the calorie

restrictions."He's a skinny, skinny kid," she said. "I try to get him to eat as many calories (as

possible) a day. That's ridiculous (Keilman). For Some students eating more calories is not a

concern due to their genetics. Public Schools systems tend to make a decision for everyone based

off of the school as a whole and not students individually.

There is no secret that most student will rabail from eating anything that's not covered in

cheese or has a flavorful crunchy texture. As the schools take out bad foods and put in more

fruits and veggies student continue to throw away money in the trash. Students were more likely

to take fruit if a greater variety of fruit was offered. For every additional type of fruit offered,

there was a significant increase (of 9%) in students who took fruit as part of their lunch

(Hartford). For anyone gravitating to something sweet than savory is second nature. Students

pick up more fruits but as time goes by more money is being wasted when students don't eat the

vegetables that are placed on the menu. Changing things all of a sudden would be a culprit in

students rejection. In Georgia, kids resisted the loss of their beloved fried chicken. In New

Mexico, whole-wheat tortillas went straight to the trash can. And in Tennessee, after schools

replaced familiar flaky white biscuits with a whole-grain variety, one official reported a severe

amount of rejection (Hamburger). Compelling students to leave behind their joyous favorites

won't be achieved without a fight. As many students reject healthy food money is still the lost

that many school deal with today.

Equally important, establishing good scholars starts with feeding students a better lunch,

which replenishes their energy and allows students to focus and be more active. Which then

helps students learn properly and show academic excellence. As more and more parents are
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aware of this new law the desire of giving students the right nutrition becomes more proactive.

This study follows recent polling and research showing broad support for healthier meals

among parents and students: An October 2014 poll from the Pew Charitable Trusts, RWJF, and

the American Heart Association found that 72 percent of parents nationwide favor strong

nutrition standards for school foods. A survey of school leaders released in July 2014 revealed

widespread student acceptance of healthier meals across all grade levels (Hartford). When

schools are able to provide students with healthier lunch, schools open the opportunity of having

amazing students. Food companies make these products specifically to meet national guidelines

so they are whole grain and have less sugar. But Schwartz says they effectively work as

advertising to children so kids become loyal to the brand's less nutritious offerings outside the

school. Nearly one-quarter of districts surveyed offered restaurant-branded foods, such as

Domino's pizza (Malter). While meeting the regulation of the law, schools still have to work

around students bad eating habits outside of school grounds, although students do become less

likely to toss out their lunch plates and fill them full of healthy lunch items when it's time for the

mid day meal. When feeding student the correct food during lunch, schools then create smart

exceptional scholars.

More importantly, when monitoring the years before the new lunch law, schools in the

past had to cook meals from scratch. As generations after get used to having the same types of

processed food on the menu, building new healthy lifestyles for students becomes hard.

Changing things all of a sudden will increase students rejection towards healthy living. Students

are looking for favorable substitutes that can fulfill what they lost. Looking at the nutrition

value of 1.7 million meals selected by 7,200 students in three middle and three high schools in an

urban school district in Washington state, the scientists compared data collected in the 16 months
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before the standards were carried out with data collected in the 15 months after implementation.

They found that there was an increase in six nutrients: calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, fiber,

and protein (Hamburger). Over time majority of students get use to eating these particular foods

and the road to living a healthier life is ahead.

When the 2010 school lunch law was implemented it started out as a plan to take control

and help students with health conditions and stop future health risk from happening. Now, as

the Republican-dominated Congress decides whether to renew the law, school lunch trays have

become a partisan battle zone. The law expires on Sept. 30, although the status quo will remain

in place if Congress deadlocks (Halper). If the law is renewed, the fight to end dreadful food

related health issues will continue. On the other hand, it means that schools need to find new

financial ways to sustain providing healthy food. Signed into law in 2010, the Michelle Obama-

approved Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) increased portions of whole grains, fruits,

and vegetables, and limited the number of calories in school breakfast and lunch. The US

Department of Agriculture standards were implemented starting in the 2012-2013 school year,

affecting up to 31 million students in the National School Lunch Program (Keilman). Bringing

this law into the school systems has tremendously impacted students in a positive way, but yet

has its effect on all students. As more food continues to be eaten, conducting new ways of

incorporating healthy eating not only will show in students, but also within the schools. It will

also help show those students that are getting help that there is someone like Michelle Obama

that is fighting for them.

Some may say that schools should only provide students with the minimal amount of

substance as they take on 6-7 hours of class work. Going as far as to giving students free food

not only once but three times a day, which includes after school is a bit much. As many students
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don't necessarily like school lunches, giving it away so only two out of five items get eaten off of

students plates is the price to pay. We cant force students to eat something they dont want,

said Lyman Graham, food service director for consolidated schools near Roswell, N.M. Many

families in the Southwest will not accept whole-grain tortillas (Hamburger). However what this

source fails to take into consideration is that the students are the only reason why schools are

open in the first place, so if feeding students is the way to go when making sure the job is done

and done correctly, then assisting in feeding students as they learn week by week is a small price

to pay.

As taxpayers money is used to provide schools with all supplies and government

assistance. Some people may feel that their money is not worth being placed into the school

system. State governments dole out benefits according to free and reduced-price lunch

percentages, too. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, for instance, allocates $2,250

to schools for each low-income child enrolled in kindergarten through 3rd grade. The program

gauges poverty using NSLP participation (Bass). While people walk around believing that their

money is not being used in the right way that they would like. What they don't notice is that the

money that each U.S citizen pays are reaching children and changing the lives of future adults

and aides in receiving a better future.

The chart below shows the data tracked from a 2012 lunch program. The Free lunch

given to 59% of children may be seen as a liability that schools can avoid and use to their benefit

in paying for the healthy lunches required by law. By eliminating free lunch, schools can use the

money earned for regulating the law and providing a healthy menu for all students. While this

may help, schools have to understand that students of all ages do not all come from privileged
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homes. Requiring students to pay for lunch would counteract the situation if students are not able

to pay for lunch in the first place.

Schools should be able to provide a free healthy balanced lunch to all students because

students who may be in need would benefit from the help, because providing a balanced lunch to

students promotes smart exceptional scholars, and because it leads students into a new healthy

lifestyle. When Michelle Obama conucted the act of new healthy lunches, she started the end of

an ongoing battle that Americans have faced from previous years. Fighting the redundant

problem of students becoming overweight and obese is a step that in today's time is allowing this

generation and the ones before them to take the lead and be role models of a better life. By

starting with the children, adults then follow on the journey that leads them into having the desire

to live longer and be more interactive with their children. With putting forth this effort in the
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right direction we are giving generations after use a fighting chance to end obesity and

unhealthiness and live as better people.

Works Cited

Bass, David N. "Fraud in the Lunchroom? - Education Next." RSS. 11 Nov. 2009. Web. 07 May

2016.

Chen, Cathaleen. "Is the Michelle Obama-approved School Lunch Initiative Working?" The

Christian Science Monitor. 05 Jan. 2016. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

<http://m.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2016/0105/Is-the-Michelle-Obama-approved-school-

lunch-initiative-working>.

Halper / Contact Reporter, Evan. "'Lunch Lady' Lobby Joins GOP to Fight Obama's School

Lunch Rules." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2015. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

<http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-school-lunch-20150422-story.html>.

Hamburger, Tom. "School Lunch Debate Is Clash of Cultures, with Some Districts Saying Kids

Don't Want to Eat Healthy." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 30 May 2014. Web. 14 Apr.

2016. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michelle-obamas-school-lunch-agenda-faces-

backlash-from-some-school-nutrition-officials/2014/05/29/6a8e4af6-e744-11e3-afc6-

a1dd9407abcf_story.html>.

Hartford, Conn. "Less Waste, Healthier Consumption With New School Lunches." RWJF. 04

Mar. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2016. <http://www.rwjf.org/en/library/articles-and-

news/2015/03/students-eat-more-fruit-and-throw-away-less-food-with-new-health.html>.
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Ho, Sally, and John Keilman. "School District Balks at USDA Smart Snacks Rules."

Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. 09 May 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

<http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-05-09/news/ct-smart-snacks-met-

20140508_1_national-school-lunch-program-new-standards-snacks>.

KELLY, JULIE, and JEFF Stier. "The School Lunch Program With an Unappetizing Report

Card." WSJ. 17 June 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2016. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-school-lunch-

program-with-an-unappetizing-report-card-1434582719>.

The Number of Children Fed through the National School Lunch Program Has Expanded

Dramatically in the Last Few Decades. This Is Partly Due to the Growing Number of Children

Living in Poverty. In 2013. "Back to School: Almost 20 Million Kids Are Getting Free Lunch."

CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 10 Sept. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

<http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/10/news/economy/school-children-free-lunch/>.

Person, and Joseph Erbentraut. "Here's More Proof The Push For Healthier School Lunches Is

Working." The Huffington Post. 04 Jan. 2016. Web. 07 May 2016.

SIEGEL, BETTINA ELIAS. "The New York Times." The Real Problem With Lunch. 15 Jan.

2016. Web. 14 Apr. 2016. <http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/opinion/the-real-problem-

with-lunch.html?referer=&_r=0>.

Startz, Dick. "Free School Lunches." Profit of Education. 28 Oct. 13. Web. 07 May 2016.