“Your argument sounds rather Statist to me. (Eat whatever the gubmint tells you). Offering alternatives (provided there is sufficient demand for them) is much more free-market.”
You have no argument because we’re not discussing the free market. We’re discussing the state. State run schools, which operate from the tax payer’s money. Why don’t YOU just open a free market bazaar in front of your house offering free, diverse and delicious meals to children? You could offer anything and everything available on Earth. Then, YOU could offer everything you think people deserve without using the power of the STATE to force me to pay for it. Statist indeed...
You have no idea what the demand for these meals is at this school. So your argument fails again.
What other enterprise would you like to engage in with taxpayer’s money?
You are building straw men and knocking them down. There has been no evidence presented that offering a salad or a veggie burger increases costs.
If it does then the taxpayers of those districts should decide whether it is worth it.
The story indicated that there was a demand for these foods. If that is not the case and the schools are spending tons of money to offer veggie foods that only a handfull of students want, I’d be opposed to it. (Of course, they could always charge more for the veggie options if they are that expensive).