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Parents Hate School Lunches Too
We’ve heard from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, we’ve heard from First Lady Michelle Obama, and we’ve heard from students everywhere: School lunches are bad, bad, bad. But what do parents think about the food their kids are being served in the school cafeteria?
A survey commissioned by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation asks that question and, as it turns out, we see room for improvement as well. Of the 800 adults surveyed, 55% believe school lunch food is nutritionally “poor” or “only fair.” That number rises to 63% when you ask parents who have school-aged children.
More than 85% of those surveyed said that fresh fruits and vegetables should be available to kids each and every day in the cafeteria. And what would they like to see disappear from the school lunch menu? 70 percent said pizza should either be banned completely or served just once a week. 60% felt the same way about chicken nuggets and hamburgers.
The survey, the results of which were presented at the Foundation’s 10th annual Food & Community Networking Meeting, also asked adults what else they thought could be done to turn around the growing childhood obesity epidemic. They overwhelmingly pointed to the playground with 86% calling for at least 60 minutes of mandated exercise during the school day.
No kid is going to refuse an hour of running around outside of the classroom, but what about the food? If schools were to offer what parents think they should, would kids even eat it? I think they would. When they got hungry enough.
Image: Ben+Sam/Flickr
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7 Comments
[...] Parents Hate School Lunches Too [...]
Parents Chip in to Cover School Budget Shortfalls | Strollerderby commented on May 10 10 at 11:33 am[...] Parents Hate School Lunches Too [...]
Baby Brain: Is it Real? | Strollerderby commented on May 10 10 at 1:31 pm[...] may be on the list of foods that many parents would like to see disappear from the school cafeteria, but that probably isn’t going to happen anytime soon. However, parents who are concerned [...]
Ground Beef in Schools to Be Safer | Strollerderby commented on May 17 10 at 10:33 amChristine M commented on May 07 10 at 4:54 pmI am all for schools serving healthier foods, as are many others but the reality of it is that if you want healthier foods you have to spend more money. I am a teacher and I know that the school cafeterias in many districts operate on very tight budgets ~ especially if you are in a district where the majority of students receive free & reduced lunches. If they were given more money to run the cafeterias and purchase healthier choices that would be great but sadly, I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Not only am I a teacher, but I am also a parent and the best thing I can do for my son is to make his lunch every day ~ that way I know he is eating healthier foods.
Amanda commented on May 08 10 at 11:48 amWhen I was watching Jamie’s Oliver’s show, I learned that french fries and tater tots count as a vegetable. That’s crazy. I’m glad that my mom packed my lunch when I was growing up. I plan to do the same for my kids.
Catharine D commented on May 10 10 at 9:59 amComments While I am sure alot of schools out there serve unhealthy foods, not all do. M y kids get healhy foods at their sohool.The problem does not lie with the one meal kids get at school,but with what they eat at home and the lack of activity.Most kids eat junk while playing video games and downing soda.
None of your Buissness commented on Oct 17 11 at 8:44 pmlook you go to school and eat school lunches for 10 months and eat the same crap eat month i am a 12th grade boy in high school im sick of cold lunches that are supposed to be hot i have braces i hate to eat apples cause of it YOU GET IN OUR DAM SHOES AND EAT IT ALL THE TIME WHILE U PARENTS GET TO GET WHATEVER THA HELL YA WANT im fixin to starve myself cause im tired of having a tray of something looking like a pile of crap on my plate and as hard as A ROCK if your dam kid if fat thats the parents problem not the school system GOOD EATING HABITS START AT THE FAMILY TABLE NOT AT SCHOOL i don’t have the energy to get through the rest of the day after lunch cause im Hungary
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