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Study Finds Elementary Students Like New Healthier Lunches

If they (the parents) don't like what is being served, they can send lunches from home.

Again, you have yet to show that more of the food is being thrown away now than before. Until you do, you have nothing more than anecdotal hearsay and no real evidence at all.

I'm showing it to you again - this is how message boards work, everyone get to join in.

In Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second-largest school system, which serves 650,000 meals a day. Students throw out at least $100,000 worth of food a day — and probably far more, according to estimates by David Binkle, the district's food services director. That amounts to $18 million a year — based on a conservative estimate of 10% food waste — which Binkle says would be far better spent on higher-quality items, such as strawberries or watermelon.

The extra produce costs school districts $5.4 million a day, with $3.8 million of that being tossed in the trash, according to national estimates based on a 2013 study of 15 Utah schools by researchers with Cornell University and Brigham Young University

Other studies also have found significant waste, including 40% of all the lunches served in four Boston schools. In L.A. Unified, a forthcoming study of four middle schools has confirmed substantial waste and "significant student aversion to even selecting a fruit or vegetable serving," according to McCarthy, who co-wrote it. He declined to provide further details until the study is published.

Nationally, the cost of wasted food overall — including milk, meats and grains — is estimated at more than $1 billion annually. A U.S. General Accountability Office survey released in January found that 48 of 50 states reported that food waste and higher costs have been their top challenges in rolling out the 2012 rules.

Solutions sought to reduce food waste at schools - LA Times



And Lori Shofroth, Tippecanoe School Corps.’ food service director in Tippecanoe, Indiana, indicates that students have been throwing the food away.

“They’re teaching our kids with this meal pattern that it’s OK to throw away,” she told JCOnline. “We did a waste study on three different schools, and there was a huge amount of waste. That was just with produce, fruit or vegetables or milk.”

Ironically, wasted food was one of the very things First Lady Michelle Obama had hoped to avoid. Appearing at a Google Fireside Hangout last year, she declared, “I want every kid to commit to not throwing out anything.”

Schools Drop Federal Lunch Menu: Costly, Students Still Hungry


It's being reported 2 billion dollars has been wasted on food products being thrown away from 48 states and Michelle Obama is begging students to not to throw out anything. Sounds as if we have a big problem with wasting food within our schools.
 
Yes I did read the report before I posted the GAO link the first time with my comment of:
"And more schools opting out of the lunch program again this year" post # 616
The GAO report did not cover the schools opting out 2013/2014 school year and for the current 2014/2015 year.

Of course this is about school lunches and foods provided by government, but you have injected your personal stories into the mix many times over the course of the thread making it fair game to ask you questions. Not caring about childhood obesity as long as the other parents are informed on a daily basis, easy to see how that would work for someone. But not for that someone who has to contact every parent when a parent brings in unhealthy treats.

Schools lost large amounts of money and are opting out, not only because of waste but because they can afford to plan their own healthy menus without the federal money. They'll continue on with the free and the discount meal programs just the same. The kids will now have choices at these schools.

Your link is from Sept 2012, we are nearing Sept 2014 and we heard a lot of noise last year from students so we'll have to wait to see what this year brings.

I'm not or have never been against healthy eating, in fact I've been advocating a healthy lifestyle for 25 years. But there is a way to it correctly, can't force it on anyone.

Yes, and I stand by, as I have this entire thread, that parents are free to provide their children with any unhealthy food they want, especially as snacks/treats. It is a strawman to suggest though that this is the same thing as providing unhealthy lunches every single day of the week. As I've said, parents picked up their children and dropped them off every morning at my son's school in California. I was there every day to know what was going on, as were most of the other parents. On top of that, information about what was going on was sent home with the students at least weekly.

Actually, most of the noise has died down. You have nothing newer to show that more students/schools are opting out of the school lunch program. No one is being forced to eat the food, as no one has ever been forced to eat any school lunches. But they are being given healthier options because they are better for the students' health and their ability to learn.

Schools did not lose a lot of money. They simply were losing money and opted out.
 
I'm showing it to you again - this is how message boards work, everyone get to join in.

In Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second-largest school system, which serves 650,000 meals a day. Students throw out at least $100,000 worth of food a day — and probably far more, according to estimates by David Binkle, the district's food services director. That amounts to $18 million a year — based on a conservative estimate of 10% food waste — which Binkle says would be far better spent on higher-quality items, such as strawberries or watermelon.

The extra produce costs school districts $5.4 million a day, with $3.8 million of that being tossed in the trash, according to national estimates based on a 2013 study of 15 Utah schools by researchers with Cornell University and Brigham Young University

Other studies also have found significant waste, including 40% of all the lunches served in four Boston schools. In L.A. Unified, a forthcoming study of four middle schools has confirmed substantial waste and "significant student aversion to even selecting a fruit or vegetable serving," according to McCarthy, who co-wrote it. He declined to provide further details until the study is published.

Nationally, the cost of wasted food overall — including milk, meats and grains — is estimated at more than $1 billion annually. A U.S. General Accountability Office survey released in January found that 48 of 50 states reported that food waste and higher costs have been their top challenges in rolling out the 2012 rules.

Solutions sought to reduce food waste at schools - LA Times



And Lori Shofroth, Tippecanoe School Corps.’ food service director in Tippecanoe, Indiana, indicates that students have been throwing the food away.

“They’re teaching our kids with this meal pattern that it’s OK to throw away,” she told JCOnline. “We did a waste study on three different schools, and there was a huge amount of waste. That was just with produce, fruit or vegetables or milk.”

Ironically, wasted food was one of the very things First Lady Michelle Obama had hoped to avoid. Appearing at a Google Fireside Hangout last year, she declared, “I want every kid to commit to not throwing out anything.”

Schools Drop Federal Lunch Menu: Costly, Students Still Hungry


It's being reported 2 billion dollars has been wasted on food products being thrown away from 48 states and Michelle Obama is begging students to not to throw out anything. Sounds as if we have a big problem with wasting food within our schools.

This is anecdotal. There has been no study done to compare what kids used to throw away to what is being thrown out now. Kids have always thrown away some school foods.

Plus, if the meat is "nasty" and the fruit is spoiled, that means that the workers and staff of the individual schools are not doing their jobs. Healthy foods do not have to taste bad and they sure don't have to be spoiled, unless someone isn't actually trying.

And despite the complaints, the children are being fed pretty much the same amount of calories as they were before. They are simply refusing to eat some of the healthier options. They need to toughen up (particularly if they are in high school, which is where most of the complaints are coming from) and eat everything they are given instead of throwing things away and then complaining about food portion sizes.
 
They're given about as much choice in this as they've always had since individual taxpayers have always had very little choice in the options available to students in public schools for lunch.

Considering the fact that the feds are bribing the school districts with utter millions of dollars in taxpayer money, the voters/taxpayers should get to decide.
 
If they (the parents) don't like what is being served, they can send lunches from home.

Again, you have yet to show that more of the food is being thrown away now than before. Until you do, you have nothing more than anecdotal hearsay and no real evidence at all.

Wisconsin school districts dump the Moochelle lunch plan - Arlington Political Buzz | Examiner.com

Michelle Obama

School Officials: Kids Just Throw Away Healthy Food

Throwing Away Veggies: The Disastrous School Lunch Program

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/n...ce-student-rejection.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
 
What baffles me is where are these parents who are mad that their kids are being offered healthy food and not given junk? No parent should be upset by school offering healthy food. None.

Offering is one thing....forcing is another.
 
Apparently not all kids are spoiled brats whose parents let them eat what ever they want and many other kids do like healthier food.

Study Finds Elementary Students Like New Healthier Lunches - WSJ
When the federal government implemented new school-meal regulations in 2012, a majority of elementary-school students complained about the healthier lunches, but by the end of the school year most found the food agreeable, according to survey results released Monday.
The peer-reviewed study comes amid concerns that the regulations led schools to throw away more uneaten food and prompted some students to drop out of meal programs.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago surveyed administrators at more than 500 primary schools about student reaction to the new meals in the 2012-2013 school year. They found that 70% agreed or strongly agreed that students, by the end of the school year, generally liked the new lunches, which feature more whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and lower fat levels.

". . . a majority of elementary-school students complained about the healthier lunches, but by the end of the school year most found the food agreeable . . ."

In other words, after a year of hunger, most students were desperate enough to choke down the prison menu items.:roll:
 
Offering is one thing....forcing is another.

No school is forcing kids to eat anything. They can not eat. But when they are hungry healthy options are available. Kids if given the option will more often than not select poor choices over healthy ones. Nothing wrong with removing the poor choices.
 
". . . a majority of elementary-school students complained about the healthier lunches, but by the end of the school year most found the food agreeable . . ."

In other words, after a year of hunger, most students were desperate enough to choke down the prison menu items.:roll:
Yea because fruits veggies and whole grains are prison menu items
 
I really don't think any one has a problem with this. The problem is Michelle Obama introduced it. Since it was her idea or she is the one pushing for it a bunch of people will oppose it. Let a Bush propose the same. 80% of those who oppose this will switch. Coincidently most of its supporters will suddenly oppose it.
 
Considering the fact that the feds are bribing the school districts with utter millions of dollars in taxpayer money, the voters/taxpayers should get to decide.

then, would you suggest a national referendum?

Do you think kids should be served:

a. junk food
b. healthful food

Vote for one.
 
Actually, most of the noise has died down.
You have nothing newer to show that more students/schools are opting out of the school lunch program.
No one is being forced to eat the food, as no one has ever been forced to eat any school lunches.
But they are being given healthier options because they are better for the students' health and their ability to learn.

Yes, that would be correct because students are out for summer.

Nothing newer than the July 1, 2014 or this one only 3 weeks ago July 28, 2014

That would also be correct, no one is being forced to eat but OTOH they also aren't being forced to buy lunch, having the option to bring lunch in, whatever they want because it's better for them to be satisfied and full.


Schools did not lose a lot of money. They simply were losing money and opted out.

Schools losing $10,000 a month or $200,000 in one year is not a lot, amazing.
Some people might believe that is a lot of money to lose especially those that work on the school budget trying to make every dollar work.
 
This is anecdotal.

Thank you but I don't agree. New studies are currently on record noting the new federal regulations as named in the article.
Here's a few links:

Juliana Cohen - School lunch waste among middle school student... [Am J Prev Med. 2013] - PubMed - NCBI

WM McCarthy - Student receptivity to new school meal offerings: A... [Prev Med. 2014] - PubMed - NCBI

Dr. Price http://byuresearch.org/home/downloads/justandprice2011.pdf
https://www.lds.org/church/news/byu-study-pay-kids-to-eat-healthy-foods-with-school-lunch?lang=eng


Kids have always thrown away some school foods.

Really, how much?
 

So, they really don't know. In fact, the first one is a study for waste that was occurring prior to the new standards, which shows that a lot of food was already being wasted by children (the new standards went into effect in 2010, the research was done from 2007-2009, only the analyses of the data was done after the new standards went into effect). The second one didn't compare the waste, only selected to track how much fruit and vegetable waste there was, which means that we have no clue how that compared to waste of food from before. Perhaps they are eating more of their other food choices than before. Maybe the fruits and veggies are now the main thing being thrown away as compared to before. We don't really know, but the research from before shows that there was a lot of waste of school lunch before the new standards came about.

The other research is actually more interesting and doesn't show anything I'm not familiar with. Yes, children have to have some incentives to eat/try new foods usually, particularly veggies and fruits. I wouldn't quite go with actual monetary bribes for eating the food but think the tokens are a good idea, especially for trying the different foods.

As for how much, that first study you posted gives a small idea, at least for middle school students of how much was getting wasted.
 
Yes, that would be correct because students are out for summer.

Nothing newer than the July 1, 2014 or this one only 3 weeks ago July 28, 2014

That would also be correct, no one is being forced to eat but OTOH they also aren't being forced to buy lunch, having the option to bring lunch in, whatever they want because it's better for them to be satisfied and full.

Schools losing $10,000 a month or $200,000 in one year is not a lot, amazing.
Some people might believe that is a lot of money to lose especially those that work on the school budget trying to make every dollar work.

Offer vs Serve is available for students, as is the option of having salad/fruit bars (which is what my son had last year in San Diego) and family style meal options, where the child only has to take 1/2 cup of fruit or veggies with every meal. 1/2 cup is not that much.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/SP57-2014a.pdf
 
". . . a majority of elementary-school students complained about the healthier lunches, but by the end of the school year most found the food agreeable . . ."

In other words, after a year of hunger, most students were desperate enough to choke down the prison menu items.:roll:

The food they are eating is prison food?
 
Please see earlier posts.

Do you mean the alleged facebook or twitter photos that seem to be only posted on right wing blogs that do not list the schools that are serving those alleged lunches and the lack of school lunch menus to back up the claim?
 
Do you mean the alleged facebook or twitter photos that seem to be only posted on right wing blogs that do not list the schools that are serving those alleged lunches and the lack of school lunch menus to back up the claim?

No. Earlier posts in this thread.:roll:
 
I read that only 4.5% of the people in the world are American but, hey, if you can't outnumber them might as well try to outweigh them.
 
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