School bought lunches

**YankeeMom** · 08-20-2007, 11:25 PM

Jeez! They went up again for the elementary schools. Now they are $1 per kid per day. That's $10 per week just for the boys' lunch!

I'm definitely going to keep making their lunches. Most of the time they end up bringing a home lunch anyway, just because they either don't like what's on the school menu or they are tired of having the same thing every week.

They already have the school lunch menu up for September 07 (yet we don't have teacher names or supply lists yet

) This cannot be healthy:

9/5 pizza, salad, raisins, pears, milk
9/6 chicken nuggets, corn, dinner roll, peaches, milk
9/7 Hot dog/roll, baked beans, applesauce, milk
9/10 cheeseburger, tatertots, fruit mix, milk
9/11 double stuff crust pizza, salad, granola bar, peaches, milk
9/12 chicken nuggets, carrots, bread, pineapple, milk
9/13 meatball sub, green beans, applesauce, milk
9/14 bbq chicken drummies, corn, roll, pears, milk

Only 8 meals into the school year and already they've had pizza twice, chicken nuggets twice, plus hot dogs, meatballs, and more chicken. And their granola bars are far from granola bars. They are sugary cereal bars like generic Nutra-Grain bars.

I understand they 'have' to make things that kids will eat and they 'have' to abide by federal guidelines (not exactly who I would trust to decide what's healthy for my children lol) but tell me processed, breaded chicken 3x a week is a good thing? And it's not like the pizza is on whole wheat crust with veggie toppings. It's cheese or pepperoni pizza...and double stuffed crust?? Who needs that??

My older two isn't as bad. They don't like to bring a lunch (they are 15 and 13). Their lunches are $1.25/day but they have choice of a salad bar daily, real foods like chicken parmesan, grilled chicken sandwiches, spaghetti & meatballs, or choice of sub sandwich or yogurt, etc. It's a better deal for the $$

What are your kids' school lunch programs like (prices/selection).

**justpeachy92** · 08-20-2007, 11:40 PM

I wish school lunches here were $1 a day, here it is $1.90, so with 3 kids in school we run $30 a week for their lunches. My kids don't like to take packed lunches to school, they are at the ages where they are into following what their friends do, so only pack if all the friends decide to. I wish the kids would decide to do breakfast at school instead, that is just 50 cents.

**nodmicks** · 08-20-2007, 11:54 PM

Our our $2.20 in high school/middle school and $1.90 in grade school. I let my guys take hot lunch twice a week. Otherwise it gets to expensive.

**jinx** · 08-21-2007, 12:25 AM

My DS lunch last year was 2.50 for the hot lunch or they could go to the snack bar and get a salad, yogurt, sandwiches, fries etc. He was a senior last year. He is commuting to college and told me he wants to take a lunch on days he has class. My frugality is rubbing off.
When my son was in private school up until grade 8 the lunches were well thought. There was fresh fruit available, and the option of ordering a salad or sandwich instead of the published lunch, but the cost was 1.75 per day and that was 4 years ago.
Schools do have to follow federal guidelines and try to offer what the kids will eat in addition to keeping costs down. I am always amazed that the costs of prepared food that can be higher in fat and sodium is cheaper than fresh.

**foxxyroxie** · 08-21-2007, 01:20 AM

Although I don't have kids, I do look at the lunch elementary lunch menus that come in the mail. I guess it's mostly curiousity since I worked with school food service for about 5 years (was clerical for food service management company).

Elementary school lunches haven't been $1 or under since the 90s. I think last year it was $1.25 for elementary level. I think middle and high school level is $1.50. I do notice that they do include whole wheat buns, whole wheat chicken patties/nuggets, whole wheat bread. Also have lots of fresh veggies (2-3 times a week) and serve fresh fruits daily.

Back in the 70s when I was elementary age, school lunches were a treat. In our school, the food was produced in a satellite kitchen and packaged like TV dinners foil trays and the lunch lady reheated them on-site in large ovens. We thought they were cool, but now I know it was 'yucky' hot lunch. We (my sister and I) either carried a bag lunch or since we lived only 1-1/2 blocks from home, we went home for lunch (I know they don't allow that anymore).

For middle and high school, our taste had matured and we NEVER had school lunch -- yucky. The smells that permeated the air from the cafeteria made us nearly puke. The salisbury steak, meatloaf and hamburger was 'mystery meat', the chicken/turkey gravy was yellow and we called it 'sinus infection'. (I know, TMI - too much information). We always carried a bag lunch or skipped lunch since for most of high school I got out of classes by 1:30 pm (school started at 7:15 am).

**YankeeMom** · 08-21-2007, 02:10 AM

Originally Posted by foxxyroxie

Although I don't have kids, I do look at the lunch elementary lunch menus that come in the mail. I guess it's mostly curiousity since I worked with school food service for about 5 years (was clerical for food service management company).

Elementary school lunches haven't been $1 or under since the 90s. I think last year it was $1.25 for elementary level. I think middle and high school level is $1.50. I do notice that they do include whole wheat buns, whole wheat chicken patties/nuggets, whole wheat bread. Also have lots of fresh veggies (2-3 times a week) and serve fresh fruits daily.

Back in the 70s when I was elementary age, school lunches were a treat. In our school, the food was produced in a satellite kitchen and packaged like TV dinners foil trays and the lunch lady reheated them on-site in large ovens. We thought they were cool, but now I know it was 'yucky' hot lunch. We (my sister and I) either carried a bag lunch or since we lived only 1-1/2 blocks from home, we went home for lunch (I know they don't allow that anymore).

For middle and high school, our taste had matured and we NEVER had school lunch -- yucky. The smells that permeated the air from the cafeteria made us nearly puke. The salisbury steak, meatloaf and hamburger was 'mystery meat', the chicken/turkey gravy was yellow and we called it 'sinus infection'. (I know, TMI - too much information). We always carried a bag lunch or skipped lunch since for most of high school I got out of classes by 1:30 pm (school started at 7:15 am).

Isn't it funny how things change/stay the same.
Our elementary lunches were $0.65 just a couple of years ago. Now they are up nearly 40%. The elementary lunches are just like the ones you remember (I had them too) made in satellite kitchens & shipped to the schools. They get one hot pack & one cold pack, plus their milk. And from what I've seen, they are not serving whole wheat anything except the occasional whole wheat dinner roll or slice of bread.

The high school is more like a food bar. They get 4-5 different foods to choose from, cool things like grilled chicken wraps, fresh make-your-own garden salads, bagel salads. My girls love buying school lunch. It's a status symbol here

ETA: we also pay a substantial school tax every year. I think part of that goes towards keeping school lunch prices down...

**Neeley** · 08-21-2007, 09:41 AM

When my kids were in public school (over 3 years ago) the lunches for k-6th were $1.75 per person per day and extra milk was $0.40. The junior high and high school kids have an a la carte menu. They can pick and choose anything from frosty's to baked potato bar to the standard lunches. Everything is priced separately -frosty's are $0.75, potato bar or salad bar $2.50, chicken sandwiches $1.50, fries $0.50 etc...Each of the 58 public schools in the city have their own cafeteria and everything is cooked on site. A few of the private schools have lunches catered from places like Domino's, Chik-Fil-A, and Burger King. Nothing with any nutritional value at all.

**frugalfarmwife** · 08-21-2007, 10:04 AM

This was another thing I was discussing with the two friends with kids here, the one in the city schools it's $54.00 a month per kid, all school ages. The one out here in the country schools it's $40.00 per month for hers, they're in grade school and jr. high now.

kj

**VanVivCam** · 08-21-2007, 10:49 AM

Oh my gosh...I was just complaining about this with hubby. We pay $1.75 for lunch. They have the standard tater tots with chicken pattie and so forth. But the children in grade school can also choose to eat a pb&j or just cheese and crackers!!!! FOR $1.75!!!!!!! I got sooooo angry yesterday when my daughter told me she had a PB&J for lunch with some milk.

The students also have a choice to buy "extras" from the lunch room such as chips, cookies and bottled water!!! That just BURNS me up...these should not be options for small children that only get 25 minutes to stand in line and eat their lunch. What child would not want to get chips and cookies and NOT eat the "good" lunch.

Today and everyday from now on I will be packing lunch for my daughter. $1.75 is just too much to pay for cheese and crackers, or a PB&J. Most of the food is thrown away anyways.

Sorry for the long rant.....UGH!!!

**Domestic Gal** · 08-21-2007, 10:58 AM

I work for the school food service. Our lunches went up this year. They have not went up for 3 years now. Elementary went form $1.65 to $1.75. Middle school went from $2.00 to $2.10 and High school went from $2.00 to $2.25. Milk went from .25 to .35 a carton. Milk last year cost the school .24 cents a carton so we made no money on it at all.
I work in the high school and the menus that they have are crappy. We have pizza, hotdogs, fries, tatertots everyday. They also have the option of salad bar daily and the entree of the day.
We also serve sub sandwiches and enchalatias daily for $3.00. We also have a snack shop ( More like a 7-11 all kinds of junk food) Spicy chicken sandwiches, pizza, fries, pretzels, chips, pop, little debbies, hostess, candy bars, granola bars, soup, cold sandwiches, chef salads you name it we probably serve it.
The only change they made this year is we can only serve diet pop. What good is that when they buy a candy bar to go with it.

No my kids do not eat at school. They will eat only about 2 times a month there.

**LynnLC** · 08-21-2007, 11:09 AM

I wish the kiddos had $1 lunches!!! 2.40 for elementary & 3 for middle!!!

**DAAC3DEC** · 08-21-2007, 11:31 AM

School lunch in my area for elementary schools are $1.50 and they are junk!! I don't feed them like that at home why do they feed it to them at school and then blame the parents for the kids poor eating habits---sorry, it is one of my personal beefs....

**Tamerama** · 08-21-2007, 12:17 PM

My kids are in elementary school. The "basic" lunch is $2 or you can get the DELUXE lunch for $3. The Deluxe lunch is Chick fil a or Pizza Hut... Ridiculous!! And the kids can also get "snacks" which are chips, cookies, ice cream, ect....

**Buckeye5** · 08-21-2007, 12:25 PM

My DS's lunch is $2.00 a day, and does not even begin to touch his appetite!!! Our school lunch is similar to yours, can you say NASTY!!! It is all fast food types of food, with very little nutrition in it. He will be brown bagging it.

**lwlynch** · 08-21-2007, 12:47 PM

Can you qualify for reduced lunch rates? Also I found out last year that mine was eating breakfast at school and he was so tired by 9, the teacher asked me if he was okay. I said I just guess he was tired. Well I checked what he was eating in the mornings, donuts, choc. chip pancakes, all sugary stuff. Now wouldn't that make you have a great high and then a tired low, especially if that wasn't how we ate at school? So needless to say he eats at home. He still eats lunch at school, but I think he wants to try taking his.