This year, the Los Angeles Unified School District changed the unchangeable. It made cafeteria lunches (gasp!) healthy. Out went chocolate milk, corn dogs, chicken nuggets and nachos. In came vegetarian curry, lentil and brown rice cutlets, quinoa and pad Thai.
This year, the Los Angeles Unified School District changed the unchangeable. It made cafeteria lunches (gasp!) healthy. Out went chocolate milk, corn dogs, chicken nuggets and nachos. In came vegetarian curry, lentil and brown rice cutlets, quinoa and pad Thai.
The only problem? Kids hate it.
In a Los Angeles Times report, Dennis Barrett, the district's food services director, called the new menu debut a “disaster.”
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From the Times:
Many of the meals are being rejected en masse. Participation in the school lunch program has dropped by thousands of students. Principals report massive waste, with unopened milk cartons and uneaten entrees being thrown away. Students are ditching lunch, and some say they're suffering from headaches, stomach pains and even anemia. At many campuses, an underground market for chips, candy, fast-food burgers and other taboo fare is thriving.
In response to the complaints, the district is revising the menu. Hamburgers will be back. The “Caribbean meatball sauce” will be changed to a teriyaki flavor. Pizza is also returning, though it will be a healthier version with whole wheat crust, low-fat cheese and low-sodium sauce.
Officials are trying to hold some ground, saying the goal is to “stay the course on healthy food.” Chocolate milk, nachos and deep-fried corn dogs will still be a distant memory.
As of now, one principal is comparing the food situation to Prohibition.
Anyone remember the Flamin' Hot Cheeto black market in Orange?
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