Posted on 03/06/2014 10:20:21 AM PST by Hojczyk
The morale for cafeteria workers has also suffered under the new standards.
Staff in one SFA noted that the increased amount of time and effort to prepare fruits and vegetables also led to morale issues when staff saw students throw the fruits and vegetables in the trash, the GAO said.
Lunchroom costs are also going up due to the need for new spoons and ladles to match the new portion size requirements. Thirty-one percent of SFAs nationwide said they needed additional kitchen equipment to comply with the new lunch requirements last school year.
The law mandated that schools increase the price of school lunches, causing students to stop buying because they felt they were being asked to pay more for less food. Kids who pay full price for meals declined by 10 percent last school year, the lowest rate in over a decade.
Challenges with the school lunch program, which cost $11.6 billion in 2012, are expected to continue, as further regulations go into effect. The first of three sodium limits starts in 2014-2015, though many of the foods available from manufacturers do not yet comply with these limits.
School officials noted, it will be very difficult to serve food that is palatable to students under the sodium standards.
As for the other requirements, the GAO said students would get used to it.
Although school lunch participation has declined, it is likely that participation will improve over time as students adjust to the lunch changes, they said.
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
“new spoons and ladles to match the new portion size requirements”
Who got that government contract?
I’ve noticed the burger joints around schools doing a capacity business at lunch. There are so many students outside it seems unlikely their lunch rooms are occupied.
“FEDERAL” standards for school lunchrooms. Why is the FedGov spending our federal tax dollars on this kind of stuff. It’s micromanagement that really needs to STOP.
Even more disgusting is WHO is behind it.
I explained to my two boys that the school was starving them because the first lady wanted more food for herself.
My wife frowned, I just mentioned, the proof is in the pictures.
haha! thanks for sharing. :)
“asked to pay more”
Yes, but some don’t pay anything. Another transfer of income scheme.
My kids won’t eat it anymore. The blame the wookie too.
Good time to buy a food truck and park it next to the nearest school at lunch time.
Mandating students eat the Government lunch and forbidding them to bring outside food in 3...2...1...
The ‘Lunch Ladies Union’ cannot be happy about this turn of events!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-80nj75cVc
Local schools didn’t used to receive any federal dollars. See what the fed gov can do just contributing 10% to the local school system?
None of this is important.
Haven’t you heard the First lady is planning another $400 million dollar vacation?
This time to China.
BTW - Have you noticed her well-toned arms?
Even “C” students who can’t pass a standardized test have figured out that “more money for smaller portions of crappier food” ain’t a good deal.
This will not last. Expect to see The Chicago Way being replicated across the country, where brown bags from home are thrown away and the school forces the students to eat their officially recognized slop. That will be followed with trash monitors who will force the kids to eat the food, even if it makes them puke.
I call it “The Chicago Way” because they’re already doing it there. There is a district where bag lunches are verboten.
There was an article in the local paper about the school systems students not eating and throwing away huge amounts of food. One of the cooks was interviewed and she said it broke her heart knowing that what she was being forced to cook and serve tasted awful with all of Moochelles rules and regs.
She went on to say I know how to cook good food, but with these rules my hands are tied.
The article went on to mention that the school districts garbage bill had increased quiet a bit with most of it being trashed, un-eaten food.
My youngest son said in the past they were allowed to pick what they wanted on their trays, no longer you are required to take everything. He says the kids pick through it and eat what is edible and trash the rest.
I have no doubt about that at all. I HATE waste of any kind. It’s just not in my nature to waste food, resources, money, time, etc.
Except on FR - I’ll ‘spend’ (not waste!) time on FR, LOL!
Well, the "compostable" utensils would break when you tried to use them. My daughter's favorite example of this was a friend of hers who broke his "compostable" knife trying to cut a pancake. The "compostable" bowls were a riot (they should use them for a game show). Any moisture (especially hot/warm) broke down the bowls rapidly. So you had to eat really fast or your lunch/supper would be all over the table. They used "cornstarch" in the making of these dishes; and, when my daughter told me that I just immediately burst out laughing. I use cornstarch when I cook, because it disolves so quickly in liquid with no lumps.
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