Last school year, I went to my son's school and happened to be there during lunch. They were serving garlic cheese toast (as the main course), with plain spinach, and two choices of fruit. The trash can was located right next to the lunch line, so that if the kids didn't want the food, they could trash it immediately instead of it becoming ammunition in a food fight. The kids were forced to take two out of the three fruit/veggie selections. According to the cafeteria ladies, they had no option and this was part of the 'healthy' meal program.

Let's be real... is cheese toast a main course by anyone's standard? And how many people like plain spinach - no dressing, no lemon, not cooked, no seasonings? I love spinach, but would struggle with that.

I normally had him take lunch anyway, but thay was the last time I considered letting him buy lunch. His peanut butter and jelly sandwiches had less bread than the cheese toast.

One of the things our school district likes to do is serve a fruit with a "garnish" or in a combination. So it will be something like kiwi with pineapple garnish or pears and oranges. Now, that won't bother lots of kids, but it can cause problems.

For instance, Susie likes kiwi, but not pineapple and now won't eat either (so instead of one fruit, she eats none). Then there's allergies. Did you know you can be allergic to pineapple? Yeah, I didn't until a trip to the allergist this week. But there's also the more obvious trigger foods like berries and kiwi.

Frankly, if they wanted to follow these guidelines they'd be better off just carting in plain things. Whole apples, oranges, strawberries, baby carrots, etc. Why do they try to make everything gourmet/fancy for little kids? Answer: because it sounds good on the menu they send home to the parents.

The reality is, they take something good (e.g. an apple) and coat it in crap, toss parsley/syrup/"garnish"/etc on it, and then serve it.

Some kids need more calories, some need fewer. Calories need to be adjusted for usage. My son used to starve at school when he was in the 6th grade. They were served last and the cafeteria often used to run out of food, so the oldest kids got the skimpiest servings and no seconds.

Then when he got to high school, he was supposed to keep track of his calories. His count: 7,000 calories per day. His teacher told him that his consumption was ridiculous and he should cut it in half. He was 6'3" and 160 lbs. He played football and baseball. He needed those calories!

But you know, we are supposed to deliver a homogenized product in public schools today.

It's just not fair that some people need more calories, more intensive school work, etc. we are all supposed to be the same, aren't we?

I remember being able to eat half a large pizza and then look around for the salad bar. That was my normal, in high school. Also, a sleeve of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies was single serving size, and perfect after La Cross practice - or generally between 3 and 5 pm. So much growing at that age. I vacuumed food and was under weight until college.

I feel for the kids who don't have a healthful foundation at home.

What would it take - and what would it look like - for public schools to be able to offer kids the range of options needed by growing kids with different dietary and caloric needs?

Up until high school, school food was dismal. I'd pack from home or just skip lunch and pocket the money. High school had some really yummy stuff-they had lasagna made with cheddar cheese that I adored. Awesome chicken spaghetti I still can't duplicate. Great salad/baked potato bar. And at least once a week the food service kids would make and sell chocolate chip cookies the size of a dinner plate and soooo good and hot and fresh. They were my lunch on those days, with orange juice. (that was back when kids could actually train for careers that didn't require college, in high school)

My kids school is a charter, and they contract out to a well known prepared food company here in town, and the food is quite good. But, the portions are nonsensical for the older kids going through puberty or in their teens. And yeah-few kids are going to chow down on an apple. Slice it up like McD's does, and they'll probably eat it. But whole fruit just isn't appealing to kids.

I suspect this program-like many of the do-gooder ones that affect people's stomachs-will eventually die. I wish I had real hope Obamacare was going with it.

Instead of useless unionized "cooks" who just reheat slop, why not subcontract to real chefs and cafes , etc. who could make delicious, healthy food for less? Privatize school lunch!

It's just not fair that some people need more calories, more intensive school work, etc. we are all supposed to be the same, aren't we?

Soon because of the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments we will be

seems bold and italics bracket s dont work from the phone

I occasionally eat lunch with my 5th grader, and will order (the adult version) of the same lunch she gets.
In general, what I see now is a little better (I eat primal/paleo) than what was served before. Less greasy pizza, more chicken or turkey, an extra serving of fruit or veggies. I (hate to admit that I) think this was more good, than bad.

But, one thing that bugs me is that a serving of fruit isn't half an apple, it's a whole apple. Wild guess what that translates to? A mealy, tiny, sour, unripe, inedible Red Delicious apple, instead of a half or a quarter of a delicious ripe Fuji. (Ditto bananas - most kids her age will only eat half a banana anyway, and the ones that want more only have to ask their buddy that hates bananas to get a half for them... Duh.)

I tossed my icky apple, too, after a single bite.

(The kitchen staff does cook - not reheat - but they are bound by these rules and by a budget, and it makes them mad too. That rule in particular is entirely a waste of money and nutritional opportunity.)

If you hired real chefs you would probably end up with something like my company's cafeteria. About 1.5 years ago they decided the cafeteria could be a draw for new employees so they really upgraded it. The problem now is it is fairly expensive for the portions and is often times foodie food such that many adults aren't interested in them - and allergies can be a real problem.

Example:
before: Turkey Lunch plate - Roast Turkey, mashed potato, and carrot chips - $7.50
now: Turkey roasted in Indian spices and nut crust, roasted potato in a herb rub feature oregano & mustard leaves, glazed ginger-dill carrots - $9.00 for about 1/2 the food.
(that is to the best of my memory)