OPINION PIECE: School Lunches Should be Healthier

By Vivienne Rachmansky on Feb 27

Lunch fuels students throughout the school day, and is a crucial meal. In spite of this, school lunches seem to be getting worse as time progresses and becoming less healthy. It may be because of the Trump administration’s lifting of Obama’s healthy lunch policy. More sugary chocolate milk, fewer whole grains, and approximately 300 extra milligrams of salt are now permitted, and these are just some of the ways the Trump Administration has (USDA). Healthier lunches will improve student performance, and help them to concentrate at school. They’re also a catalyst for healthier adults in the US. Recently, chocolate milk has started to be served in our school lunches, however this addition is very harmful to our bodies. A single carton of flavored milk adds about four teaspoons of sugar to a child's daily diet, and may be contributing to the health epidemic of adults, including diabetes and heart disease. 📷

In our cafeteria, students have reported that the food is “disgusting and awful” (Jennifer Pillai). Another student stated that the only good part about school lunch is “when it ends!” Studies have shown that kids actually prefer the healthier meals over these new ones. An example of a school lunch from this new rhetoric is cheese sticks with tomato sauce. This meal has little nutritional value, and many students do not choose to eat salad, so are getting limited nutrition.

For many students, bringing lunch is not a good option, since time is limited in the morning. New York City took the important step to provide all students with free lunch, but the overall quality and nutrition of the food should be higher. The recent changes are detrimental to the health of our classmates and the level of performance in school.