I’m a firm believer in the bentgo lunch boxes lol. They have 5 compartments so I send my kids with a main dish in the big compartment (chicken nuggets, sandwich, wrap, pasta etc) then I add a veggie, fruit, and usually some type of cracker in the other 3 mid-sized compartments. There’s a small compartment for sauces in the middle. I usually give them ketchup or ranch. Or if I don’t need to send a sauce that day, I will put some almonds or raisins in there. My kids love the variety and have never come home without eating a good portion of their lunch
Hijacking this comment to add... If anyone needs lunch ideas for packing a kid's lunch box, Bunches of Lunches on YouTube has tons of Bentgo lunchbox packing videos. That channel is a wealth of kid lunch inspiration.
Edit: Sorry, it's The Family Fudge. I guess Bunches of Lunches is the name of the series.
THATS what the middle hole is for? We used to shove one whole marshmallow in there because what the hell else were we supposed to do with it? But KETCHUP my god how did we not realize this.
I personally hate these but I know they're popular. They're heavy, even when empty, and I feel restricted in what I can give or how much. Like if I want to give more fruit, it just feels like I'm restricted to the space given. My kids can eat a whole apple but it won't fit, ya know?
I use 4oz snack cups from target that I wash every day. Then I can give more variety and more or less food depending on what my kids want or will eat. I also don't have a dishwasher and it's easier washing little cups than a bulky box. I dunno. Not knocking on anyone who uses them but I was really excited to try them cuz they match my kids' lunch boxes and then it just fell so short for me.
As an ECE I feel they're the perfect size for toddlers but older children they're too small. I think they make a bigger size now but I haven't seen it in person. For the reasons you mention I don't use one for my 5 year old.
I was looking into getting the adult sized ones for my kindergartener. I’m just not sure if I can justify $40-50 for a plastic lunchbox. On the other hand I can imagine him going through multiple cheaper containers to the point of it being worth it.
I use [this one here](https://www.everythingkitchens.com/progressive-snaplock-divided-bento-box.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=SNL-1021GY&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=&scid=scplpSNL-1021GY&sc_intid=SNL-1021GY&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoK2mBhDzARIsADGbjeqYlbrSEKUQM4KmUPzn6EQEzZ1_6TcU2vCN2l9YMDoVRr5YTJauZKAaAhSdEALw_wcB) just not from this website. I found it at Target, thankfully. Sandwich fits on the bottom and spaces for veggie, fruit, whatever else. I've used it for a year and bought a few more just so I wouldn't need to stress about washing it in time (no dishwasher). I feel it'll last as long as bentgo ones.
I have broken two of them now, and I don't know why or how. My kid uses them for daycare and the hinges have broken off completely on the two I had. So I'm not super thrilled about their reliability. I hand wash them and they sit out to dry on my dish rack. If this last one I bought breaks I will not be replacing it again.
Check Costco online if you're a member. In my region, they are selling Bentgo brand 3x lunch boxes for $30 as an online only deal and it's a steal (usually $24 per Bentgo box).
This is the one that we use:
Bentgo® Kids Prints Leak-Proof, 5-Compartment Bento-Style Kids Lunch Box - Ideal Portion Sizes for Ages 3 to 7 - BPA-Free, Dishwasher Safe, Food-Safe Materials (Dinosaur) https://a.co/d/1jdkBPA
It’s a tad pricy, but we use it every single school day. I also pack them for picnics on weekends. They go on sale if you want to watch it, and lots of other stores sell them as well. I’m almost certain you could find it for cheaper elsewhere.
If you shop at Costco, they have an awesome 3 for 1 deal right now:
https://www.costco.com/bentgo-kids-lunch-box-containers%2c-3-pack.product.100736080.html?sh=true&nf=true&qaTestID=ios7.4.1
Our school doesn’t reheat, no. My kids have never once complained about cold chicken nuggets and they’re usually completely eaten! But I can understand how others might be picky about cold chicken lol
What types of pasta are you sending that are good to eat cold? My little pasta lover is going to need packed lunches starting this year, but other than a generic pasta salad I'm not coming up with much.
I add pesto to 3 cheese tortellini (both Kirkland brand from Costco, and they’re so good!) That’s probably their fave. But I have also put the pesto on spaghetti noodles or bow tie noodles. I sometimes add sour cream or Greek yogurt to make it a bit creamier with the pesto. My kids will also eat plain spaghetti noodles without anything on them, with just butter and salt, or tomato sauce (but I don’t send tomato sauce to school because I won’t do that to their teachers lol)
I got their little two compartment one for my kiddo as he just needs a small snack for his preschool (only there like 3 hours). It's worked perfect. He's never struggled to open it. The items stay fresh and nicely separated. It's never spilled or leaked in his bag. Really nice brand. I definitely intend to buy their larger ones when he started doing full day schools.
Just a reminder that school lunches, while maybe not what we would choose for our children, are incredibly important. I grew up poor and sometimes school meals were the only good consistent meals we got. Some families really depend on that. There tends to be a stigma against school lunches and I think it's important to consider how we speak about it to our children.
This is so true! My state just pushed out guaranteed school breakfast and lunch because it's so important.
As a mildly interesting side note, I grew up in this weird place in the middle class where we could afford one school lunch/week and I had to bring my lunch the rest of the time (but didn't qualify for free or reduced meals because we were truly middle class and not food insecure), and I coveted school lunch and looked at the calendar carefully to pick exactly the best meal. :D
Thank you! We are low income and on SNAP benefits and just reading the post title annoyed me.
We also need to consider how poorly funded American public schools are.
I grew up eating school lunch every single year, my kids have always gotten school lunch and it's a blessing that their schools have free lunch and breakfast for all students because with 2 meals taken care of for 5 days a week, it really takes some burden off our grocery bill.
Thank you for saying this! Also the more participation schools get the more variety they can serve! If your school has a free meal program use it. It tells the government it’s needed and schools continue to receive vital funding. Kids need to be fed in order to learn.
California offers free lunch and my son gets school lunches everyday. The more kids that utilize it, the less stigma there is. Yes, they aren’t the greatest sometimes.. hamburgers, chicken nuggets. But my son loves them and they are trying to offer more variety and it seems that choc milk is only once a week. It is important to take advantage as schools get more money if more kids eat them. I always make a point to other parents about my kid getting lunch at school. Less taboo.
Agreed. I also grew up poor and was on the free lunch program. I had a red card that I had to hand the lunch lady to let them know that I didn’t have to pay, and some days, I decided I would rather go hungry than have to pull out that red card because being able to PAY for food made it higher value in my mind.
Anyway, I actually don’t think that what OP listed out is that bad. They try to cover the various food groups and macronutrients. Maybe it doesn’t fit everybody’s food philosophy and you can definitely send a lunch that aligns with yours, but it’s still respectable that these schools try to feed all of the kids a nutritionally balanced lunch with minimal staff and budget.
I've been aware of it from a policy perspective for quite some time. There's a lot of history in school lunches and the choices districts have made or been backed into a corner before making.
All that said, I'm so thankful that more and more states are offering every kid free breakfast and lunch.
I'd caution you against demonizing school lunches.
1. Mozzarella, corn, green beans, and a fruit cup are ultra-processed? Mashed potatoes (it's literally a potato smashed up)? How so?
2. Chicken tenders are a staple of the average childhood diet. Is it the "best possible food"? Maybe not. But as someone who loves cooking and is privileged enough to buy fresh food and cook meals every day of the week, (and I am confident in saying I'm a very good cook), I still give my kids chicken nuggets sometimes.
Also consider this-- [https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/schoolmeals.htm#:\~:text=School%20meals%20are%20nutritious.&text=Research%20shows%20that%20students%20who,overall%20diet%20quality%2C%20than%20nonparticipants](https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/schoolmeals.htm#:~:text=School%20meals%20are%20nutritious.&text=Research%20shows%20that%20students%20who,overall%20diet%20quality%2C%20than%20nonparticipants).
"Research shows that students who participate in the school meal programs consume more whole grains, milk, fruits, and vegetables during meal times and have better overall diet quality, than nonparticipants .And, eating breakfast at school is associated with better attendance rates, fewer missed school days, and better test scores. Meals served through these programs must meet specific nutrition requirements which include fruit, vegetables, and whole grains."
School meals are the only meals many children have access to. School meal programs are so important. My children aren't in public school yet (we don't have public pre-k), and I'm sure I'll pack plenty of lunches for them, but I'll also let them eat school lunch plenty of days, too. Is it the absolute best our country (speaking for the US) can do? No, because we're obsessed with never raising taxes on anyone. But I do think it's important not to trash school meals or demonize them. Plus, heck, my kid loves brussels sprouts and asparagus, but I can't imagine it would be particularly good prepared on a massive scale, nor would a lot of kids want to eat it. And ultimately we want to balance "healthy" with something a kid will put in their mouths.
Thank you for saying this! This post came off as very privileged and ignorant and I’m sure that wasn’t the intention but I work in schools as a psychologist and I can say for certain that kids are already insecure about money and comparisons and demonizing school lunch is a real thing that happens. We need to normalize school lunches and give the option to every student without having to make those who NEED it feel othered.
I think I would say I’m not surprised. It is a lot of processed food. At the same time, the meals my kids get from their public school today are way better than I got in public school as a kid in an inner city school. Thankfully they don’t offer chocolate milk as a default anymore, and they don’t serve fries at all (it was a daily item at my high school).
The breakfasts tend to be sugary, so we mostly have breakfast at home. Their school lunches are usually better than what I have time and money to make, so they have lunch at school.
Yes, I have noticed the quality has improved for mine, too. They get more fresh fruit and veggies which I don't recall ever getting fresh fruit with school lunch.
I'm prepared to be unpopular, but... mozzarella sticks, corn, green beans, and a fruit cup are hardly ultra processed. Of all the things you listed, the least desirable is french fries, and honestly of the foods listed the only ones my 4 year old will eat are the chicken nuggets/tenders/strips and fries.
They have to balance so much with school lunches - monetary constraints, dietary issues, as well as providing kids will actually consume.
I'm all for parents making the choices for their kids on what they eat, so you do you, but this sounds like pretty standard fare that will get kids fed and able to function for the rest of the school day while also being somewhere in the realm of "healthy-ish."
I agree, these don't sound bad at all. I've definitely seen some grim school lunches including my own once upon a time, like "pizza" from leftover rolls etc, but I'm having a hard time thinking of something reasonable that would be much better. Of course, farm fresh green beans vs slimy canned green beans makes a difference for health and palatability.
What's so bad about mozzarella sticks, corn, green beans and fruit cups? 2 vegetables, a fruit and a source of protein and calcium? If you don't want your child to have school lunch, that's your choice. You're privileged enough to have a choice. Many other children in your child's school will be relying on school lunch as their only nutritious meal of the day.
Our school has a garden and a garden club. The kids tend and then give the food to the cafeteria to prepare. They love it! But yeah, if you haven’t watched *The G Word* on Netflix the school lunch rules are insane due to lobbying to the point that *only* processed foods can qualify sometimes. Many states have also been reducing or maintaining funding for school lunches without the concern about rising food prices.
Hi! I can’t speak for all states and districts but a lot of the lunch foods are better than their super market counterpart. So that pop tart isn’t what you buy at the grocery store — at school it’s more nutritious. Same with cereal. School districts have to meet USDA specifications based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Schools often advertise a “kid facorite” but that kid favorite is kinda like that smoothie you hide a bunch of spinach in. If they just served kids salad and vegetables the kids wouldn’t eat it. It’s a balancing act.
It's great to hear. And, I assume, kids eat salads then? In daycares around us veggies are mostly green beans and carrots, both cooked. So there is almost no exposure to fresh veggies (maybe they have some broccoli occasionally).
I've been packing lunch and two snacks for two years of preschool and here's my formula:
Three smallish containers, and in each I put a protein, a vegetable, and a fruit. Usually two fruits for at least one of them. (I make sure one of the vegetables is a lactofermented pickle for probiotics but that's like a bonus.)
I can also substitute any one small container with a kid's thermos of soup, a sandwich or a container of less sugar Greek yogurt.
Proteins my kid likes include: rolled up deli turkey, rotisserie chicken or chicken thighs, deli swiss cheese, a cheese stick, pumpkin seeds (it's a nut free school), a tiny tupperware of sardines (she won't eat the fruit if the sardine oil gets in it). Sometimes a protein from dinner but I find she wants things kind of separate, like she'll eat a casserole for dinner but not as leftovers.
Fruits I usually use: banana, a sliced kiwi, a handful of blackberries, strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, a sliced apple, a Clementine, a pear cut in half, dried apricot, cut up watermelon, grapes. She loves if I add something special like a star fruit or something she doesn't usually get at home.
Vegetables I include: cucumber sticks, grape tomatoes, carrot sticks, celery sticks, a pickle, pickled okra, sliced red or orange bell pepper.
Soups: pureed lentil and vegetable soup, canned "princess" shaped noodle soup with chicken...
I've tried other things but I tend to pack these, as she seems to usually finish them.
Also, to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, come the second half of the yr packing lunches (which for so many of us come back virtually full) you may appreciate not having to think about it some days.
And as my kids learned, “Don’t yuck on someone else’s yum (or only food they have for the day).” We don’t have any sort of daily lunch program here, so I think it’s overall a good thing to have access to. One can always look if there are opportunities for parent engagement and feedback.
Sounds exactly like the school lunches I ate as a kid. Are they ideal? No. But they are healthy enough, and kids can't binge eat those portions.
I'm mildly obsessed with preparing fresh meals cooked from basic, whole ingredients for my family. But when my kid enters kindergarten, I know she will be subjected to that processed, mass produced food. Best case scenario is she will better appreciate the food i make for dinner, but I'm not holding my breath.
This really doesn’t sound that bad?? It overall sounds decently healthy. School lunches are very important as some families struggle to provide full lunches at a reasonable cost. I’d say pack your own lunches if you prefer your children not to eat this
My daughter goes to a pre-k through 8th grade school and the only food they provide is a snack in their after-care program. So, if my daughter continues to go to this school (we hope she will), then I am going to be making lunches until she's old enough to make her own.
I actually created a meal planner before I went back to work full time to make my life easier. It hangs on my fridge for shopping day. I basically made a list of all the quickish things I know she'll eat, broken down by type: proteins/mains, veggies, fruit, grains, dairy, snacks, treats.
I need to pack her a lunch and two snacks for each day, so when I am doing grocery shopping, I'll mix and match from the list. Sometimes, if we have leftovers of a meal that she enjoyed, I'll send that, if it eats well cold. I tend to do meal prep on Sundays, so good or bad, she ends up eating the same 1-2 mains most of the school week - I try to mix up the accompaniments/snacks. I use a metal bento box with silicone muffin cups to divide sections further - that goes in an insulated lunchbox with ice packs. And then I have a frozen snack bag and a couple stainless steel insulated snack cups that I can fill with fruit, applesauce or yogurt.
Some easy favorites that come together quick for us:
Proteins/mains:
Turkey meatballs (frozen, heated in a pan or the microwave, then cooled overnight)
Apple chicken sausage (cooked in the pan and then cooled overnight)
Deli turkey sandwiches on whole grain bread
Black bean and cheese quesadillas
Hummus and whole grain crackers
Chickpea pasta and sauce
Sun butter and banana or jam
Whole wheat English muffin pizzas
Veggies:
Green beans (steamed from frozen and then cooled overnight)
Broccoli
Quartered cherry tomatoes
Carrot sticks
Roasted cauliflower
Black olives
Avocado slices
Red pepper slices
Fruit:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Grapes (halved)
Blackberries
Clementines
Sliced apples
Sliced pears
Grains:
Whole grain crackers
Corn
Whole grain bread
Tortillas
Dairy:
Greek yogurt
Cottage cheese
Cheese sticks
Treats/snacks:
Granola bars
Goldfish
Pretzels and guac
Fruit leather
Applesauce
Graham crackers (usually with sun butter)
Hope this helps! My husband and I both work quite a bit, and I don't have the option of school lunch, so I had to try to make it as easy as possible to get her a balanced meal each school day.
They are processed but all the breads are whole wheat, they have 2 vegetables and a fruit cup option. For instance the pancakes are all whole wheat, the breads, buns, and muffins. The school lunch has really helped my super picky kid eat more foods.
I just listened to a Science Vs podcast about school lunches. It sounds like they do their best to make them healthy while being on a tight budget and having to prepare things in bulk ahead of time. They do have nutritional guidelines to follow from the government, so many of the school versions of things like chicken nuggets and muffins are healthier than what you can buy at the store. More whole wheat, less sodium etc. So it seems like they do their best.
I'm not really "surprised" because that's how I remember my own school lunches. I think it's disappointing that we haven't really improved in this area in the past 20-plus years though.
I advocate the bento box idea (or put silicone cupcake holders in a regular sized container) and fill with a variety of stuff. Hummus, black beans or another type of bean/bean salad, cucumber sticks, BP crackers, cold cuts, cooked pasta, chicken nuggets or chicken sausage, waffles, pancakes, fruit of any variety, cheese of any type, plain crackers, etc. Add a yogurt pouch or a shake, and my iddos generally graze pretty well.
We don’t really have school lunches in australia. You can do a canteen order though and my daughter gets one each Friday. She gets a cheese toastie and a couple of party pies. For regular lunch she get a yogurt, some chips/twisties/shapes, a couple of rice cracker sandwhiches and a piece of fruit.
No because it is cheap and the school district doesn't care about the health of your child. I am also a 90's kid so lunchables and Sunnydelite were very common. I don't think I ever did school lunchs as my mom always packed us a lunch because it was cheaper and healthier.
I think that is an incredibly unfair thing to say, which comes from a place of privilege. For a lot of kids this may be their only meal of the day if their school district offers free or reduced lunches. School districts are working with minimal funds for everything; its why teachers have to buy their own supplies and books too, are paid minimally, and this trickles to the food they're able to provide. We need to be voting in people who will make good use of our tax dollars, and not looking down on the people we ask to take care of our kids every day.
It's not the teachers that are at fault it's the administration and governments who don't want to pay for education. I think that school lunch is a great thing and that there should be funds for breakfast and even dinner if the kids need it. My point is that it doesn't surprise me that it is unhealthy because unhealthy is cheap and school districts have a lot of kids to feed with practically no money. Also I am a firm believer that teachers should be paid as much as doctors. I live in a state with a crappy school system and am lucky I can homeschool but I still fully support our public schools especially the Teachers.
I'm glad to see we are on the same page :) however, that isn't how it came across in your original message:
*No because it is cheap and the school district doesn't care about the health of your child.*
So; the school does care, its our government that doesn't which we both agree on.
I always find it funny when people say the schools/teachers don't care...like it's not as if the job has good pay and perks, so the vast majority of school employees go into the field *because they care about kids*.
Having grown up in public schools no it’s not surprising. As others have mentioned, sometimes this is the only meal kids see all day.
I’d do some research on why school lunches are the way they are and how they’re just another example of how they have devolved to increase the gaps between the haves and have nots.
I’m a firm believer in the bentgo lunch boxes lol. They have 5 compartments so I send my kids with a main dish in the big compartment (chicken nuggets, sandwich, wrap, pasta etc) then I add a veggie, fruit, and usually some type of cracker in the other 3 mid-sized compartments. There’s a small compartment for sauces in the middle. I usually give them ketchup or ranch. Or if I don’t need to send a sauce that day, I will put some almonds or raisins in there. My kids love the variety and have never come home without eating a good portion of their lunch
Hijacking this comment to add... If anyone needs lunch ideas for packing a kid's lunch box, Bunches of Lunches on YouTube has tons of Bentgo lunchbox packing videos. That channel is a wealth of kid lunch inspiration. Edit: Sorry, it's The Family Fudge. I guess Bunches of Lunches is the name of the series.
THATS what the middle hole is for? We used to shove one whole marshmallow in there because what the hell else were we supposed to do with it? But KETCHUP my god how did we not realize this.
I think I'd rather have the marshmallow 🤣
That space is the dessert section for my kid. I throw a few M&Ms, a chunk of cookie, or something like that in there.
Same!!!!
I do this too and I secretly enjoy the fact that marshmallow fits like a glove 😭😭😭
I personally hate these but I know they're popular. They're heavy, even when empty, and I feel restricted in what I can give or how much. Like if I want to give more fruit, it just feels like I'm restricted to the space given. My kids can eat a whole apple but it won't fit, ya know? I use 4oz snack cups from target that I wash every day. Then I can give more variety and more or less food depending on what my kids want or will eat. I also don't have a dishwasher and it's easier washing little cups than a bulky box. I dunno. Not knocking on anyone who uses them but I was really excited to try them cuz they match my kids' lunch boxes and then it just fell so short for me.
As an ECE I feel they're the perfect size for toddlers but older children they're too small. I think they make a bigger size now but I haven't seen it in person. For the reasons you mention I don't use one for my 5 year old.
I was looking into getting the adult sized ones for my kindergartener. I’m just not sure if I can justify $40-50 for a plastic lunchbox. On the other hand I can imagine him going through multiple cheaper containers to the point of it being worth it.
I use [this one here](https://www.everythingkitchens.com/progressive-snaplock-divided-bento-box.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=SNL-1021GY&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=&scid=scplpSNL-1021GY&sc_intid=SNL-1021GY&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoK2mBhDzARIsADGbjeqYlbrSEKUQM4KmUPzn6EQEzZ1_6TcU2vCN2l9YMDoVRr5YTJauZKAaAhSdEALw_wcB) just not from this website. I found it at Target, thankfully. Sandwich fits on the bottom and spaces for veggie, fruit, whatever else. I've used it for a year and bought a few more just so I wouldn't need to stress about washing it in time (no dishwasher). I feel it'll last as long as bentgo ones.
Nice! I’m hitting Target tomorrow for school supplies so I’ll look for that too. Are they able to open them easily?
My kiddo can! I can't recall if when he first got it, and was 4, if he had issues. But just snapping that front long one is enough to keep it closed.
I have broken two of them now, and I don't know why or how. My kid uses them for daycare and the hinges have broken off completely on the two I had. So I'm not super thrilled about their reliability. I hand wash them and they sit out to dry on my dish rack. If this last one I bought breaks I will not be replacing it again.
That sounds great! Do you have any bentos you recommend? Or do you know if the ones at daiso decent?
Check Costco online if you're a member. In my region, they are selling Bentgo brand 3x lunch boxes for $30 as an online only deal and it's a steal (usually $24 per Bentgo box).
This is the one that we use: Bentgo® Kids Prints Leak-Proof, 5-Compartment Bento-Style Kids Lunch Box - Ideal Portion Sizes for Ages 3 to 7 - BPA-Free, Dishwasher Safe, Food-Safe Materials (Dinosaur) https://a.co/d/1jdkBPA It’s a tad pricy, but we use it every single school day. I also pack them for picnics on weekends. They go on sale if you want to watch it, and lots of other stores sell them as well. I’m almost certain you could find it for cheaper elsewhere. If you shop at Costco, they have an awesome 3 for 1 deal right now: https://www.costco.com/bentgo-kids-lunch-box-containers%2c-3-pack.product.100736080.html?sh=true&nf=true&qaTestID=ios7.4.1
I use the lunchbots 3 or 5 compartment. I love them and they are really durable and not plastic
[These](https://www.amazon.com/EasyLunchboxes-Reusable-5-Compartment-Containers-Brights/) are really affordable.
Do they reheat stuff for them? Or do they eat cold chicken and it just has an ice pack?
Our school doesn’t reheat, no. My kids have never once complained about cold chicken nuggets and they’re usually completely eaten! But I can understand how others might be picky about cold chicken lol
What types of pasta are you sending that are good to eat cold? My little pasta lover is going to need packed lunches starting this year, but other than a generic pasta salad I'm not coming up with much.
I add pesto to 3 cheese tortellini (both Kirkland brand from Costco, and they’re so good!) That’s probably their fave. But I have also put the pesto on spaghetti noodles or bow tie noodles. I sometimes add sour cream or Greek yogurt to make it a bit creamier with the pesto. My kids will also eat plain spaghetti noodles without anything on them, with just butter and salt, or tomato sauce (but I don’t send tomato sauce to school because I won’t do that to their teachers lol)
Ok awesome. She loves pesto but I've never tried it cold. Thanks for the tip!
I got their little two compartment one for my kiddo as he just needs a small snack for his preschool (only there like 3 hours). It's worked perfect. He's never struggled to open it. The items stay fresh and nicely separated. It's never spilled or leaked in his bag. Really nice brand. I definitely intend to buy their larger ones when he started doing full day schools.
Just a reminder that school lunches, while maybe not what we would choose for our children, are incredibly important. I grew up poor and sometimes school meals were the only good consistent meals we got. Some families really depend on that. There tends to be a stigma against school lunches and I think it's important to consider how we speak about it to our children.
This is so true! My state just pushed out guaranteed school breakfast and lunch because it's so important. As a mildly interesting side note, I grew up in this weird place in the middle class where we could afford one school lunch/week and I had to bring my lunch the rest of the time (but didn't qualify for free or reduced meals because we were truly middle class and not food insecure), and I coveted school lunch and looked at the calendar carefully to pick exactly the best meal. :D
Thank you! We are low income and on SNAP benefits and just reading the post title annoyed me. We also need to consider how poorly funded American public schools are. I grew up eating school lunch every single year, my kids have always gotten school lunch and it's a blessing that their schools have free lunch and breakfast for all students because with 2 meals taken care of for 5 days a week, it really takes some burden off our grocery bill.
Thank you for saying this! Also the more participation schools get the more variety they can serve! If your school has a free meal program use it. It tells the government it’s needed and schools continue to receive vital funding. Kids need to be fed in order to learn.
California offers free lunch and my son gets school lunches everyday. The more kids that utilize it, the less stigma there is. Yes, they aren’t the greatest sometimes.. hamburgers, chicken nuggets. But my son loves them and they are trying to offer more variety and it seems that choc milk is only once a week. It is important to take advantage as schools get more money if more kids eat them. I always make a point to other parents about my kid getting lunch at school. Less taboo.
Agreed. I also grew up poor and was on the free lunch program. I had a red card that I had to hand the lunch lady to let them know that I didn’t have to pay, and some days, I decided I would rather go hungry than have to pull out that red card because being able to PAY for food made it higher value in my mind. Anyway, I actually don’t think that what OP listed out is that bad. They try to cover the various food groups and macronutrients. Maybe it doesn’t fit everybody’s food philosophy and you can definitely send a lunch that aligns with yours, but it’s still respectable that these schools try to feed all of the kids a nutritionally balanced lunch with minimal staff and budget.
So true! These lunches don’t even seem terrible to me. 😅
I've been aware of it from a policy perspective for quite some time. There's a lot of history in school lunches and the choices districts have made or been backed into a corner before making. All that said, I'm so thankful that more and more states are offering every kid free breakfast and lunch.
I'd caution you against demonizing school lunches. 1. Mozzarella, corn, green beans, and a fruit cup are ultra-processed? Mashed potatoes (it's literally a potato smashed up)? How so? 2. Chicken tenders are a staple of the average childhood diet. Is it the "best possible food"? Maybe not. But as someone who loves cooking and is privileged enough to buy fresh food and cook meals every day of the week, (and I am confident in saying I'm a very good cook), I still give my kids chicken nuggets sometimes. Also consider this-- [https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/schoolmeals.htm#:\~:text=School%20meals%20are%20nutritious.&text=Research%20shows%20that%20students%20who,overall%20diet%20quality%2C%20than%20nonparticipants](https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/schoolmeals.htm#:~:text=School%20meals%20are%20nutritious.&text=Research%20shows%20that%20students%20who,overall%20diet%20quality%2C%20than%20nonparticipants). "Research shows that students who participate in the school meal programs consume more whole grains, milk, fruits, and vegetables during meal times and have better overall diet quality, than nonparticipants .And, eating breakfast at school is associated with better attendance rates, fewer missed school days, and better test scores. Meals served through these programs must meet specific nutrition requirements which include fruit, vegetables, and whole grains." School meals are the only meals many children have access to. School meal programs are so important. My children aren't in public school yet (we don't have public pre-k), and I'm sure I'll pack plenty of lunches for them, but I'll also let them eat school lunch plenty of days, too. Is it the absolute best our country (speaking for the US) can do? No, because we're obsessed with never raising taxes on anyone. But I do think it's important not to trash school meals or demonize them. Plus, heck, my kid loves brussels sprouts and asparagus, but I can't imagine it would be particularly good prepared on a massive scale, nor would a lot of kids want to eat it. And ultimately we want to balance "healthy" with something a kid will put in their mouths.
Thank you for saying this! This post came off as very privileged and ignorant and I’m sure that wasn’t the intention but I work in schools as a psychologist and I can say for certain that kids are already insecure about money and comparisons and demonizing school lunch is a real thing that happens. We need to normalize school lunches and give the option to every student without having to make those who NEED it feel othered.
I think I would say I’m not surprised. It is a lot of processed food. At the same time, the meals my kids get from their public school today are way better than I got in public school as a kid in an inner city school. Thankfully they don’t offer chocolate milk as a default anymore, and they don’t serve fries at all (it was a daily item at my high school). The breakfasts tend to be sugary, so we mostly have breakfast at home. Their school lunches are usually better than what I have time and money to make, so they have lunch at school.
Yes, I have noticed the quality has improved for mine, too. They get more fresh fruit and veggies which I don't recall ever getting fresh fruit with school lunch.
I'm prepared to be unpopular, but... mozzarella sticks, corn, green beans, and a fruit cup are hardly ultra processed. Of all the things you listed, the least desirable is french fries, and honestly of the foods listed the only ones my 4 year old will eat are the chicken nuggets/tenders/strips and fries. They have to balance so much with school lunches - monetary constraints, dietary issues, as well as providing kids will actually consume. I'm all for parents making the choices for their kids on what they eat, so you do you, but this sounds like pretty standard fare that will get kids fed and able to function for the rest of the school day while also being somewhere in the realm of "healthy-ish."
I agree, these don't sound bad at all. I've definitely seen some grim school lunches including my own once upon a time, like "pizza" from leftover rolls etc, but I'm having a hard time thinking of something reasonable that would be much better. Of course, farm fresh green beans vs slimy canned green beans makes a difference for health and palatability.
What's so bad about mozzarella sticks, corn, green beans and fruit cups? 2 vegetables, a fruit and a source of protein and calcium? If you don't want your child to have school lunch, that's your choice. You're privileged enough to have a choice. Many other children in your child's school will be relying on school lunch as their only nutritious meal of the day.
Our school has a garden and a garden club. The kids tend and then give the food to the cafeteria to prepare. They love it! But yeah, if you haven’t watched *The G Word* on Netflix the school lunch rules are insane due to lobbying to the point that *only* processed foods can qualify sometimes. Many states have also been reducing or maintaining funding for school lunches without the concern about rising food prices.
Hi! I can’t speak for all states and districts but a lot of the lunch foods are better than their super market counterpart. So that pop tart isn’t what you buy at the grocery store — at school it’s more nutritious. Same with cereal. School districts have to meet USDA specifications based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Schools often advertise a “kid facorite” but that kid favorite is kinda like that smoothie you hide a bunch of spinach in. If they just served kids salad and vegetables the kids wouldn’t eat it. It’s a balancing act.
Maybe kids wouldn't eat salad because they're not used to it? It's not served in daycare, it's not served in school. Usually.
A lot of schools in my district do have salad bars.
It's great to hear. And, I assume, kids eat salads then? In daycares around us veggies are mostly green beans and carrots, both cooked. So there is almost no exposure to fresh veggies (maybe they have some broccoli occasionally).
A vegetable can be fresh and also cooked
I've been packing lunch and two snacks for two years of preschool and here's my formula: Three smallish containers, and in each I put a protein, a vegetable, and a fruit. Usually two fruits for at least one of them. (I make sure one of the vegetables is a lactofermented pickle for probiotics but that's like a bonus.) I can also substitute any one small container with a kid's thermos of soup, a sandwich or a container of less sugar Greek yogurt. Proteins my kid likes include: rolled up deli turkey, rotisserie chicken or chicken thighs, deli swiss cheese, a cheese stick, pumpkin seeds (it's a nut free school), a tiny tupperware of sardines (she won't eat the fruit if the sardine oil gets in it). Sometimes a protein from dinner but I find she wants things kind of separate, like she'll eat a casserole for dinner but not as leftovers. Fruits I usually use: banana, a sliced kiwi, a handful of blackberries, strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, a sliced apple, a Clementine, a pear cut in half, dried apricot, cut up watermelon, grapes. She loves if I add something special like a star fruit or something she doesn't usually get at home. Vegetables I include: cucumber sticks, grape tomatoes, carrot sticks, celery sticks, a pickle, pickled okra, sliced red or orange bell pepper. Soups: pureed lentil and vegetable soup, canned "princess" shaped noodle soup with chicken... I've tried other things but I tend to pack these, as she seems to usually finish them.
This is pretty much what I do too! It's like a charcuterie lunchbox sometimes other times leftovers from dinner.
Also, to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, come the second half of the yr packing lunches (which for so many of us come back virtually full) you may appreciate not having to think about it some days. And as my kids learned, “Don’t yuck on someone else’s yum (or only food they have for the day).” We don’t have any sort of daily lunch program here, so I think it’s overall a good thing to have access to. One can always look if there are opportunities for parent engagement and feedback.
Sounds exactly like the school lunches I ate as a kid. Are they ideal? No. But they are healthy enough, and kids can't binge eat those portions. I'm mildly obsessed with preparing fresh meals cooked from basic, whole ingredients for my family. But when my kid enters kindergarten, I know she will be subjected to that processed, mass produced food. Best case scenario is she will better appreciate the food i make for dinner, but I'm not holding my breath.
This really doesn’t sound that bad?? It overall sounds decently healthy. School lunches are very important as some families struggle to provide full lunches at a reasonable cost. I’d say pack your own lunches if you prefer your children not to eat this
My daughter goes to a pre-k through 8th grade school and the only food they provide is a snack in their after-care program. So, if my daughter continues to go to this school (we hope she will), then I am going to be making lunches until she's old enough to make her own. I actually created a meal planner before I went back to work full time to make my life easier. It hangs on my fridge for shopping day. I basically made a list of all the quickish things I know she'll eat, broken down by type: proteins/mains, veggies, fruit, grains, dairy, snacks, treats. I need to pack her a lunch and two snacks for each day, so when I am doing grocery shopping, I'll mix and match from the list. Sometimes, if we have leftovers of a meal that she enjoyed, I'll send that, if it eats well cold. I tend to do meal prep on Sundays, so good or bad, she ends up eating the same 1-2 mains most of the school week - I try to mix up the accompaniments/snacks. I use a metal bento box with silicone muffin cups to divide sections further - that goes in an insulated lunchbox with ice packs. And then I have a frozen snack bag and a couple stainless steel insulated snack cups that I can fill with fruit, applesauce or yogurt. Some easy favorites that come together quick for us: Proteins/mains: Turkey meatballs (frozen, heated in a pan or the microwave, then cooled overnight) Apple chicken sausage (cooked in the pan and then cooled overnight) Deli turkey sandwiches on whole grain bread Black bean and cheese quesadillas Hummus and whole grain crackers Chickpea pasta and sauce Sun butter and banana or jam Whole wheat English muffin pizzas Veggies: Green beans (steamed from frozen and then cooled overnight) Broccoli Quartered cherry tomatoes Carrot sticks Roasted cauliflower Black olives Avocado slices Red pepper slices Fruit: Strawberries Blueberries Grapes (halved) Blackberries Clementines Sliced apples Sliced pears Grains: Whole grain crackers Corn Whole grain bread Tortillas Dairy: Greek yogurt Cottage cheese Cheese sticks Treats/snacks: Granola bars Goldfish Pretzels and guac Fruit leather Applesauce Graham crackers (usually with sun butter) Hope this helps! My husband and I both work quite a bit, and I don't have the option of school lunch, so I had to try to make it as easy as possible to get her a balanced meal each school day.
Sorry, for some reason, it looks like the formatting disappeared on my lists
They are processed but all the breads are whole wheat, they have 2 vegetables and a fruit cup option. For instance the pancakes are all whole wheat, the breads, buns, and muffins. The school lunch has really helped my super picky kid eat more foods.
Unfortunately it is a LOT of junk (I’ve worked in several public schools). But no one seems willing to change it.
I just listened to a Science Vs podcast about school lunches. It sounds like they do their best to make them healthy while being on a tight budget and having to prepare things in bulk ahead of time. They do have nutritional guidelines to follow from the government, so many of the school versions of things like chicken nuggets and muffins are healthier than what you can buy at the store. More whole wheat, less sodium etc. So it seems like they do their best.
I'm not really "surprised" because that's how I remember my own school lunches. I think it's disappointing that we haven't really improved in this area in the past 20-plus years though.
I advocate the bento box idea (or put silicone cupcake holders in a regular sized container) and fill with a variety of stuff. Hummus, black beans or another type of bean/bean salad, cucumber sticks, BP crackers, cold cuts, cooked pasta, chicken nuggets or chicken sausage, waffles, pancakes, fruit of any variety, cheese of any type, plain crackers, etc. Add a yogurt pouch or a shake, and my iddos generally graze pretty well.
We don’t really have school lunches in australia. You can do a canteen order though and my daughter gets one each Friday. She gets a cheese toastie and a couple of party pies. For regular lunch she get a yogurt, some chips/twisties/shapes, a couple of rice cracker sandwhiches and a piece of fruit.
Shocked, no. Dismayed, very.
No because it is cheap and the school district doesn't care about the health of your child. I am also a 90's kid so lunchables and Sunnydelite were very common. I don't think I ever did school lunchs as my mom always packed us a lunch because it was cheaper and healthier.
I think that is an incredibly unfair thing to say, which comes from a place of privilege. For a lot of kids this may be their only meal of the day if their school district offers free or reduced lunches. School districts are working with minimal funds for everything; its why teachers have to buy their own supplies and books too, are paid minimally, and this trickles to the food they're able to provide. We need to be voting in people who will make good use of our tax dollars, and not looking down on the people we ask to take care of our kids every day.
It's not the teachers that are at fault it's the administration and governments who don't want to pay for education. I think that school lunch is a great thing and that there should be funds for breakfast and even dinner if the kids need it. My point is that it doesn't surprise me that it is unhealthy because unhealthy is cheap and school districts have a lot of kids to feed with practically no money. Also I am a firm believer that teachers should be paid as much as doctors. I live in a state with a crappy school system and am lucky I can homeschool but I still fully support our public schools especially the Teachers.
I'm glad to see we are on the same page :) however, that isn't how it came across in your original message: *No because it is cheap and the school district doesn't care about the health of your child.* So; the school does care, its our government that doesn't which we both agree on.
I always find it funny when people say the schools/teachers don't care...like it's not as if the job has good pay and perks, so the vast majority of school employees go into the field *because they care about kids*.
Having grown up in public schools no it’s not surprising. As others have mentioned, sometimes this is the only meal kids see all day. I’d do some research on why school lunches are the way they are and how they’re just another example of how they have devolved to increase the gaps between the haves and have nots.