Kids Reject L.A.'s New Healthy School Lunches, Compare Them To Dog Food
LatestThose who say there’s nothing wrong with continuing to count pizza and french fries as vegetables in school lunches often argue that if you try to feed kids healthier foods they’ll refuse to eat them. The Los Angeles Unified School District’s revamped lunch program seems to prove that point. Students have been complaining about the healthier lunches that were introduced this semester, but it’s unclear if the food being more nutritious is really the heart of the problem.
The L.A. Times reports that the district has received several awards for its new lunch program, which provides kids with meals that meet the government’s dietary guidelines and include far more fresh vegetables than before. However, students aren’t happy to see lunchtime staples like “chocolate and strawberry milk, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, nachos” replaced with “vegetarian curries and tamales, quinoa salads and pad Thai noodles.” According to the paper, the school’s efforts to subject kids to quinoa have led to pandemonium:
Principals report massive waste, with unopened milk cartons and uneaten entrees being thrown away. Students are ditching lunch, and some say they’re suffering from headaches, stomach pains and even anemia. At many campuses, an underground market for chips, candy, fast-food burgers and other taboo fare is thriving.
Being offered a selection of nutritious meals is giving kids health problems and encouraging lawlessness! Won’t someone think of the children, and their refusal to take in calories that don’t come in the form of Cheez Doodles and Hostess CupCakes?