What’s WRONG with school lunch in the U.S.?

School lunch in the U.S. can be awful. Compared to countries like Japan, France and Brazil - where public school students are often served scratch-cooked, appetizing meals - the U.S. is really lagging. So what’s the deal? Yara goes deep into the U.S. school lunch system to look for answers, and to see just how bad - and how good - American school lunch can get.
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[@1987Confused]

Who would have thought outsourcing feeding kids to the lowest bidder could result in food that is unfit to eat

[@swagatochatterjee7104]

All damaged roads lead to Regan

[@DiamondFlame45]

Thank you! If developing countries like Brazil can offer high quality food to their students, why can’t the US? It’s the food lobby and its pressure to maximize profits at the expense of quality! There has to be a balance!

[@Sinaeb]

@@DiamondFlame45 food lobby? Don't you mean that it's because that americans sees governments as : HAS TO MAKE PROFITS

[@Watch-0w1]

@@swagatochatterjee7104 that good quote

[@Watch-0w1]

@@DiamondFlame45 that basically American , profit first

[@PoggoMcDawggo]

Fun story. At my old highschool they'd ban kids, even the 18 yo's with cars, from using their lunch break to drive to a restaurant and order food. It used to be allowed, but eventually most kids would skip the nasty school lunch and opt for fast food. So they banned us from ordering out or walking across the street to get other food so as to force us to spend money on disgusting school lunches. It resulted in a black market of food. People would use their breaks to go behind the school building and sell edible food. 3 kids got "arrested" for it. They did all that instead of giving us decent food.

[@aryanbaviskar1186]

Couldn't you have just brought packed lunch from your house.

[@s-wo8781]

Arresting children for selling food?

[@PoggoMcDawggo]

@Aryan Baviskar Yes, but there was a process for that as well. You had to notify the staff and get special permission on your ID tag which costed money. It usually took about a week to get cause they'd remake the ID with the special tag on it. And if you lost that ID, you'd need to pay again for another one. Dang near everything costed us money. They even floated the idea of charging us for "overuse of bathroom privileges."

[@PoggoMcDawggo]

@S-wo I said "arrested" cause the security there weren't full-blown cops. So the worst they could do is "detain" you in detention. They did tend to threaten the 17 and 18yo's by saying, "ya know if we get the law involved, they'll try you as an adult." It wasn't even a "bad school" with bad kids either. The head staff was just super strict. Didn't want us taking more than 5 minutes in the hall I'm between classes. Stop kids from using the bathroom as often. Stuff like that.

[@imalwaysright]

@@PoggoMcDawggowhat! People aren’t allowed to bring food from home! What state is this!

[@BlessingsfromBridget]

As a former substitute teacher that worked for 14 different school districts, I saw a correlation between the food served to kids and the quality of the school. Schools with healthier food had students who were better behaved and had better grades. Schools with less healthy food had students with worse behavior and worse grades.

[@gonelucid]

Correlation>causation

[@yeth5786]

Better teachers = Better attendance. Better attendance = More funding. More funding = better lunches.

[@etienne8110]

Isn't it just bias selection with the socio economic average? Better neighborhood can afford more taxes, thus better meals. And at the same time wealthier students are less stressed and more focused and well behaved?

[@nickhenry9887]

Yeah it’s just an area thing. Higher crime areas have worse schools worse kids and worse food

[@yoshit5123]

That can be a coincident, I've attended a school in one of the richest cities in the u.s. yet school lunch looked worse than the first meal of the video. I had 3 encounters with blue cheese milk, as in milk must have had gone bad and turned into watery blue cheese like texture and made a toilet my best friend 3 times.

[@HabeasJ]

One day in middle school, the lunch ladies offered my friends and I chicken salad or taco salad. Apparently they wanted to try something new and healthy that the kids would like. They were prepared fresh and were actually great. After 4 or 5 months they took them off the menu. We never really got an answer why, but we always assumed it was a combo of funding and/or BS nutrition standards. Still, over ten years later in our adult lives, we still talk about the salads and how disappointed we were when they were gone

[@user-kj5yc4xc3y]

Yes, if it is fresh and money spent is reasonably high and you use fruits and vegetables, it is healthy. Stop skimping on the budget

[@Clavitz1]

i doubt it's budget or nutrition standards. it's probably the district being bought out by suppliers. it's gotten so bad lunchables are now being an option for some districts. gotta love corrupt capitalism

[@sephatu6521]

13:17 "I'm not here to make money. I'm here to invest in the future of our kids." This guy is incredible.

[@Bay510Area]

💛💯

[@sanisoniasansan]

🥺

[@chewcacachewpipi8879]

And probably a liar too.

[@halahlo8046]

@@chewcacachewpipi8879 damn

[@gamingwithanoob]

@@chewcacachewpipi8879 really gotta be that negative for 0 reason?

[@Bash70]

One aspect that's often completely overlooked with this issue is the corporations that supply the food and ingredients. These corporations get paid top dollar to by tax payers to offer kids complete garbage, maximizing their profit margins and it's only the school that take the heat while these greedy companies get to operate business as usual.

[@TititoDeBologay]

They not only get subsidized They're also notorious tax evaders. People seldom acknowledge the violence of so called white collar crimes. That ish has long term and multigenerational impacts.

[@vintageradioman]

Thank you exactly

[@imalwaysright]

@@TititoDeBologayright wing politicians / Republicans are in bed with these corporations

[@imalwaysright]

You’re saying that the people that are against big government, handouts and tax are getting paid handouts by big government! 😱

[@TititoDeBologay]

@@imalwaysright Fair. But I can affirm You that both, the donkey and the elephant, deal in that stuff. Just republicans are just more overt on how they despise the working people and their children. Clinton for exemple, was heavy on subsidizing éducation to his corporate Friends.

[@littlewing232]

Honestly, my school lunch wasn’t this bad. There were actually some days we were actually excited for what was on the menu that day, and yes I did go to public school. Granted, it wasn’t the best food around, but at least it was edible, sometimes good. I think it comes down to the funding the school has for lunches, and the dedication of the cafeteria workers to make good food.

[@bstaznkid4lyfe392]

The worst school lunch was a cold lunch like tuna sandwhich..😭

[@yo_darlin151]

Same. 🙂

[@susanboyd245]

That's when they actually cooked in the cafeteria instead of having all this pre packed crap brought into the school

[@swimfan6292]

You must've lived in a up scale school district. Probably had a decent football team with championships, or lacrosse team or soccer team etc schools with wins get extra money. Schools with good grades get more money. There's other instances where the school is incehtivized to your success. But other times none of that helps due to many factors..

[@thebookwasbetter3650]

I'm kind of with this comment. I tossed so much fruit away my mom packed for me. Serving kids healthy food is one thing. Getting them to eat it is another. We also had gym and recess. Recess was a heck of a lot more of a workout then gym.

[@lancegordon5492]

What an amazing mini-documentary. Credit is due to the schools as well for their cooperation

[@Cheeseburger.Launch.Sequence]

It just hit me like a ton of bricks why so many of the high schoolers come into my shop after school and eat like crazy folk.

[@nikkimcdonald4562]

Kids eat like crazy regardless. When I was in HS we had good food but as soon as school let out the fast food joints on that street were flooded with kids ( not hanging out) eating.

[@johnp139]

Because they are too lazy to bring their own lunches?

[@nostalgia545]

@@johnp139It’s not practical to bring food every day. I used to pack food everyday but at least once a week I would eat out. It’s not healthy to eat plastic food even once a week

[@michaellasfetto5810]

Another point is that the needs of a kindergartener are NOT the same as a high schooler, and yet they usually get the same size meal. Also, we need to hear you sing more.--Sincerely, a music teacher who has daily lunch duty.

[@kappadarwin9476]

That is something I never understood about the portion size. It felt like I was eating the same portions in HS that I was eating in middle school.

[@harleyme3163]

why canada parents make they own meals

[@MyLady22]

It’s corn. A big lump with knobs. Gotta love it!

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Serie A Leader Polite Chef

[@zuninona]

the kindergartners in my district get 5 chicken nuggets, 10 fries, and one apple for lunch. The 8th graders? the same damn thing.

[@SYDAirlineEnthusiast]

In elementary school, the school lunch was so horrible that I would ask my mom to make me lunch, pick up fast food for me, or send me lunchables. In middle school and high school, better options existed as it was more than just cafeteria lunch. However, there were days when I would go without eating lunch at all in high school and just eat something nice after school. Same with middle school from eighth grade onwards.

[@willaimhiggins5428]

Sorry for kids today. Attended school 61-74, our school lunches were great. Cooked right onsite at every single school, no reheating no trucking food in. Sorry what school lunches have turned into. Now, they have approved Lunchables as a school lunch, what are we doing to today's kids. For many, many kids this is their main meal of the day.

[@Ticklemypink]

At my school they serve healthy food like salad but they mostly serve cheeseburgers/fries

[@BuddyL]

The fact that so little regard is given to this programme *for children* sums up 🇺🇸 in a nutshell. This is what it thinks of its own citizens.

[@vintageradioman]

Exactly thank you

[@imalwaysright]

Pro life! but only when its in the womb

[@zeppafloyd]

America: The business masquerading as a country.

[@grayonthewater]

You lucky nonAmerican prolly had great school lunch

[@Mama_Toni]

Of its citizens and ultimately its future. Since the children are the future.

[@NickReed97]

I remember back in high school from 2011-2015 the school lunch kept getting worse by the year. By my senior year the school lunch was nearly inedible, milk was frozen half the time with ice chunks, and the portions got smaller while lunch became more expensive. School lunch was so awesome from 2002-2010, it went way downhill from there.

[@desireechoate7583]

The ending made me cry. It’s so wonderful to see that some people are making the change ❤

[@Cheeky_Goose]

I went to school in the south and there were multiple times where someone around me got a rotten apple. The portions were always so small, students would go back for seconds and thirds just to get full. Parents also protested when our school tried to bring a program to make food cheaper for impoverished students. There were days where there was no vegetarian option, and I'm a vegetarian so I had no choice but to bring my lunch from home. Another interesting thing was that fairly often, we would have army recruiters post up in the cafeteria and they'd walk up to you and try to convince you to join the army. I'm not sure that's even legal

[@TheEnigmaticBM39]

The school I went to down south in 6th grade had food that was cooked from scratch daily. This is my first time hearing about this about southern schools

[@synckar6380]

So long as the recruiters aren't actively praying on the students, it's fair game. Schemes like credit cards and the like are illegal but it's just a booth with a pull up bar then it's fine. Although I bet my school would also protest if recruiters were ever there outside of college fairs.

[@PoggoMcDawggo]

@Yasuke the Turtle Island Assassin Jeez, you were one lucky kid then. I have been to many southern schools since I got transferred a lot due to my parents being in the army and moving a lot. Not once did any school I've been to bother to make fresh food daily. Half the time the food was undercooked or cold in the middle. Sometimes it was well beyond its expiration date, but they'd still serve it. Only for a few kids to get sick and sent home. I guess it just depends on where ya are. 🤷🏿‍♂️

[@user-vg8ox3he1i]

It shouldn't be legal...but this is America

[@user-vg8ox3he1i]

@@synckar6380 Of course recruiters are preying on students. What is worse being enticed to kill people for money, or getting a credit card? Americans are insane.

[@firstname__lastname]

I went to a smaller primary school. Because my school wasnt over crowded, there was an actual budget for things like music, arts and a decent food program. Also, each morning, older students who were interested, could volunteer to prep and serve lunch (they got perks and an earlier lunch). Ive always thought that was a great way to teach cleanliness and respect for school staff. Also, it instilled culinary skills at a young age.

[@Cheeseburger.Launch.Sequence]

I recently saw a video on youtube a school district that was given approval to actually hire and PAY kids to help work in the school kitchens to overcome worker shortages and allow more time and effort towards making better food. In some cases, it's a serious lack of hands on deck which fascilitates the need to make small quantity and lower quality.

[@mirrorflame1988]

Excellent idea!!

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

Primary school? What country was this?

[@snowmorgan4115]

@@Cheeseburger.Launch.Sequence but clearly mouldy food like that school and others where serving? tahts beyond disgusting and no escuse i knew the quality was bad but watered down off milk and mouldy food ye just cant get passed that :/ those burgers where so passed due wasnt funny o.o

[@lordblazer]

@@snowmorgan4115 yea it's gotten worse since the 90s

[@reusablestinger3164]

Im from portugal, europe, here lunch is usually outsourced but made on the day. but before the schools were actually prepared to cook their own food, it was a very sad change for most people. it also took many options of the kitchen itself diferent plates who cannot be done fast or efficently were cut from those menus bc the kitchen could no longer work. eating diferent kinds of food also have an impact on the perceived quality

[@SaltNPeppers]

i remember genuinely enjoying the food at my school. granted this isn't the usa lol. the best meals they made was rice, honey chicken and the frozen, bagged vegetable they'd thaw, lightly fry in big batches. incredibly simple but it was amazing.

[@popthatbeep]

in south east asia, you'll see the canteens are usually small and only have like 10 or less people working in it but they make great fresh food for like 300-400 students plus the staffs. i think the bureaucracy is the problem in these american school food program. oh and just like the guy did, the buffet style should be adopted, it's way easier for the whole kitchen

[@singlah]

Well, in SE Asia, most children buy their lunches in the canteens. Food is not "free" like in most public schools in the U.S. - hence the canteen operators are motivated to offer better food because if they don't, the kids will not buy from them. In the U.S. where meal service is provided by vendors with contracts, the goal is to provide the lowest quality food to maximize profits. The U.S. should just move away from this model but of course, vendors who have won lucrative contracts will not allow that to happen any time soon.

[@kamek7361]

@@singlah lol school lunches aren't free in the usa. There are kids in actual school lunch debt 💀

[@singlah]

@@kamek7361 at my school, it's part of the school's budget... it's "free" to the kids... and that's why it's so bad.

[@SSchithFoo]

Cheap labour though.

[@ThisIsNotAhnJieRen]

Philippine education system maybe questionable?😆😆😆 But our school lunch is S-Tier 😄

[@sdtimeless]

The best food available at our school was cup of noodles. In retrospect I realize I experienced frequent malnutrition as a kid.

[@Serai3]

This is a disgusting country. The way people are used just to make money for the wealthy is sickening. The worst thing is how for so long, people abroad swallowed the nonsense propaganda that is peddled from here.

[@Tribuneoftheplebs]

Me too until I discovered nutella and became malnourished but fat! Eventually figured it out in uni though.

[@theforgeryttv6449]

When I was a kid, we sometimes had food poisoning and we didn't know. Two or three times, the chicken they served was either undercooked or spoiled and kids threw up. I remembered throwing up really bad on two occasions and it was embarrassing.

[@theinquisitor18]

The best thing my school ever served was chili. God, it was good. Other than that, it was rather meh. It was never like this, though.

[@fishingpol5195]

@@Tribuneoftheplebs nutella sandwiches for years.

[@TheDawn0310]

As a former school cook I worked for a wonderful school district. 80% of our meals, both breakfast and lunch, was cooked from scratch. I made sure I did my part in our school kitchen to cutdown on fat and to make the food tasty. We had certain days when the teachers would order lunch’s along side the students because they loved the food. I’m sorry for both the kids and the cooks who care in these other districts but I will always take pride in the meals I served during my 6 years.

[@johnp139]

You should have been focusing on reducing carbs and sugar, NOT fats.

[@baconlamb]

I go to school in a very wealthy district and we still have many of the same issues, with the exception that we rarely are served actively spoiled food - but by the end of the lunch line, they're usually out of most of the options. We still experience tiny portion sizes, our lunch staff have no clue what's in the food, juice is often still frozen when we get it, and it's all gross

[@studiokuya]

I am genuinely shocked at U.S school lunch. I live in the Philippines and I have never heard of school lunch like this! Food is supposed to be cooked from scratch, not any of that prepackaged stuff! I mean damn just yesterday I got a freshly made Korean Corn dog and a fried pork chop for a little less than a dollar and it was quite good. School food should be cooked fresh!

[@1985toyotacamry]

Trust me I'm from the US, and school lunch I am growing up it sucks. The pizza and the brownie is the highlight. But agreed they need to cook fresh.

[@___Anakin.Skywalker]

Bobo KSP ka din e Walang school lunch sa Pinas unggoy ka

[@chewcacachewpipi8879]

You people literally recycle food from the trash lol

[@tuongchu2867]

I grew up in Vietnam and my school lunches were all made from scratch! Freshly cooked rice, pork chops, stir fry beef, soup, noodle, and herbal dessert. I was a picky eater back then and didn’t really like my food. 😅 now I really appreciate my schools for cooking fresh meals for us.

[@shelleygoldstone]

Sadly, most of the foods Americans consume on a daily basis are HEAVILY processed, from Hamburger Helper, frozen dinners, jarred and canned foods, bottled dressings and sauces, breads that stay fresh for weeks, etc. Americans need to confront their love for heavily processed foods.

[@dennisdawson9896]

So a school serving questionable sourced foods didn’t want a reporter in their cafeterias. A school serving humane foods doesn’t even flinch, they said wonderful.

[@dilberthigh]

They wouldn't want him in all schools in Minneapolis. Multiple schools still don't have kitchens within Minneapolis. It's disgusting.

[@thisshouldbeentertaining3386]

Paper plates and plastic utensils? What happened to the large tray's and metal utensils?

[@sushiachan]

I’m so thankful my highschool had good foods… we had a mexican line, with burritos, tacos, enchiladas, etc. we had a pizza line, that ONLY served pizza. A “home cooked/ traditional” line that had a different meal daily usually involving a meat and a veggie. Meals included lasagna and a salad, chicken tenders and fries, or loaded cheeseburgers and peppered carrots. We also had a line where you could purchase conscience store items, like chips, donuts, and Gatorade. This was also the fastest lane, so we called it the “quick lane”. All the food was good, but I almost always ate the mexican food line, they had amazing food, the women who cooked for that line were amazing. My school had great funding and a huge cafeteria with multiple kitchens. I’m very thankful to have had a chance to go there and had good nutrition when I needed it most. My community college had a culinary school which had a real kitchen ran by students. It was the only cafeteria and had AMAZING FOOD and a rotating menu. This wassnt a public school but a lot of community colleges don’t have a cafeteria like that!!

[@daniellord-vera6987]

scratch cooking has been done in Canada for a long time in public schools and honestly its worth it and not that expensive if you get local ingredients

[@Cheeseburger.Launch.Sequence]

I can add to that. As the individual who owns the farm who produces and distributes the local ingredients. I won't invest or take part in the local school district. And it's not about profits or the bottom line either.

[@JiggyGinJoints]

The only way. I have a feeling you also offer food on taxbill for all students? So half the class isnt starving and robbing the first half like in the US.

[@foxceles]

Also in canada and school lunches in america confuses me? most people i know brought their lunchs, even if the highschool had a cafeteria, but they had a reputation of being over priced and no one was forced to eat their. is it not common in the states for kids to be provided food? or is this literally dog food they have to pay for? why not just make a lunch at home ( unless someone is very poor)

[@keithrich4209]

@@foxcelesit depends on how much your annual take home is. generally the kids living in a home below the poverty line they don’t have to pay for lunch. i generally bought school lunches (ngl some of them slapped and i don’t care what anyone has to say about it) but the big thing for me was there’s 0 way to reheat food. no microwaves or nothing so it’s either cold cuts, salad, or pb and j. now that i work and have a microwave i just reheat leftovers from a meal cooked the night before.

[@m.p.2534]

Indeed, though in my old rural primary school, I remember we only got a school chef and proper food in 2007, and we had to pay about 5 $ a week, but it was worth the quality. It meant no more canned veggies and more delicious food. One of their best meal of the day was freshly baked tilapia in oatmeal with homemade tartar sauce, greek salad with local ingredients, italian wedding soup and homemade molasses cookies. There was even fresh milk from our local dairy farms. And if there were leftovers at the end, you could come and get some more for free. Then, my old high school also improved the quality and diversity of their food. Yep, moreover, it was easier to learn in the afternoon on a well-fed stomach and a satisfied palate.

[@46samet46]

What could make a huge difference is ; spend 5% of military money for better meals. 😊

[@ej_22]

I wonder how big the impact would be but more money should go to the united state air force

[@gpl992]

We need that Military to invad-err I mean protect Foreign tiny impoverished Asian nations like Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam 🙏🏽🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🤷🏽‍♂️👌🏽

[@Drift680]

@@gpl992 since when tf is Iraq an asian nation

[@zovslavsforever]

​@@Drift680American geography in a nutshell 😆 🤣, Iraq is Asian!

[@gpl992]

@@Drift680 lmao your stupid.Iraq,Israel,Turkey,Siberia, Kazakhstan,and Afghanistan are literally ALL ASIAN

[@user-ft4so6vd2h]

Government pour tons of money on student's safety while feed inedible stuff to student. It's so weird.

[@armorbearer9702]

Another channel mentioned that many students dump large portions of their lunch in the trash. Some dumped their entire meal because the food was so disgusting. Better food options may save money from waste costs.

[@Mr.Buttersworth7]

My son's previous school received food from the same company that makes the local prison food.

[@s-wo8781]

I believe you

[@noahmizrahi9834]

Make your son breakfast, pack him a lunch and make him supper, wats wrong with you? or if you still not happy move to another school district. why are you depending on his school for proper food, when its for education not a grand buffett.

[@noahmizrahi9834]

@@Behold_I_am_Egg Most native american reservation kids get PB&J sandwich small carton of milk and maybe celery or carrot sticks. The point is most americans are spoiled and think they deserve the best. Those native kids are the ones who should be served the best. If natives can survive and not complain, well also getting help, like EBT,TANF,General assistance,CHild services,food pantries, support services so can the rest of american families that live in poverty. sad to see parents complaing about how they cant afford food on these segment while standing next to their 2017 toyota camry, or a late model SUV. Walk to work in the snow if you have too.

[@kuromu8467]

​@@noahmizrahi9834 If schools have the ability to control what u bring to school they should be able to feed their students

[@noahmizrahi9834]

@@kuromu8467 i just walk over to mcdonalds or taco bell two blocks over, maybe fred meyer i dunno it depends on how spoiiled i am that day

[@gabrielledepaula7568]

I don’t get it. I studied in public schools in Brazil and we always had a nutritious lunch, always served with juice, fruit for desert and a granola bar for snack. Also when you arrives at school, they used to serve milk and cookies before class starts. And Brazil is considered a poor country :s My favourite lunch was chicken risotto and salad, so yummy

[@ladboii2901]

Nah m8. USA is all glitter and gold on the media, while internally they are breaking down. Meanwhile other countries, they may look poor without flashy materialistic things on the outside, but in terms of welfare theyre miles better than the US of A.

[@uhm175]

chicken risotto and salad sounds so basic LMAO

[@gabrielledepaula7568]

@@uhm175 all food was made from scratch every day, and that was my favourite meal , not what they served everyday 🤷🏻‍♀️ we also had tradicional Brazilian food: steak, rice, beans, salad and a side. Probably basic, but is nutritious and what we eat on a daily basis in Brazil. Much better than frozen processed food with dipping sauce :s

[@jontargaryen7192]

Num é menina? Quando eu era criança eu costumava odiar a comida da escola por ser muito saudável(no amazonas e em Santa Catarina não pode ter comida frita pra estudantes) e eu queria pizza, hamburguer ou cachorro quente como meus primos nos EUA, mas hj em dia eu fico feliz que a gente tinha carne, arroz, feijão, salada e uma fruta... Mesmo sendo básico...

[@yesthatsmycat9919]

When I was a kid studying in a brazilian public school I used to love the days when lunch was rice with chicken and veggies, nowadays I'm a vegetarian but I remember that dish was delicious. Also when my school served banana porridge with tapioca balls (mingau de banana da terra com tapioca), everytime I eat that kind of porridge it makes me think of school

[@gregorydryden7865]

exceptional documentary bravo!!!!!!!

[@MsLangham]

I've been a public school teacher since 2017 and i've NEVER had the school lunch. I feel bad for my students because for some of them, this is the only meal they get. I've been documenting our lunch (title 1 school in GA) if you'd like to connect to see what we have here

[@jaybob324]

Preschool to prison pipeline is not a joke

[@nexusyang4832]

Truth.

[@ericfrazer4736]

either that or military

[@sayyestolife333]

Yes. And I think to further your point, they don't kids things like how to budget and life skills to live normal independent lives knowing that not every kid has parents who will teach them those things. And since college is a money making business, unless you get a scholarship if you're poor you probably aren't going to college (some people even skip college after earning a scholarship because they dont have money for the other expenses) . But either esy its unfair they have to fight so hard to maybe get the chance rich kids just get. So out of high-school you're faced with a 9 to 5 minimum wage job OF COURSE lots of these kids will be tempted with dealing drugs and other illegal things for money, and of course young people who feel like they don't have hope in their future are more likely to have certain lifestyles that lead to prison. It's actually sickening when you think of it.

[@genkani4239]

This is an amazing story to spread awareness. As a lunch lady myself I completely understand where this story comes from. We are unable to cook foods in traditional ways due to ‘health’ reasons. Hotdogs have to be boiled in water in an oven… rice is always plain brown rice that once again is boiled and steamed in an oven… chicken nuggets get cooked in an oven and have to sit in 160 degree warmers all day because there isn’t enough staff to have a person in the back constantly cooking and to have someone on the line serving food. I am unable to add salt to corn or potatoes. The ‘healthiness’ of the lunches has completely taken over the flavor. I hope one day I’ll be able to actually season food for the children and not have to feed them bland food that has been sitting in a warmer for a couple hours.

[@BeautiiMai]

In kindergarten it is understandable, why the food is served bland. But in schools... a little salt and pepper won't harm anyone. And here in Germany food cost money, so everyone have lunch bags.

[@sleempy6343]

all that "healthiness" just to eat brown rice which is cancerous and processed foods and on top of that no salt which is good for you in smaller quantities. america is really a joke. so happy im from eastern europe

[@nekoluxuria7721]

my favorite one was last time I ate school pizza when I was in idk 9th or 10th grade. I got a massive headache and had a massive urge to vomit. after that I basically never ate the food at food, either friend brought pizza or I skip lunch.

[@IHeartQuilting2]

Thanks for the explanation. I was a high school student in a town in the 70s and our food was actually pretty good. Decent amounts of food per age group. Dessert once a week.

[@debrahearn3759]

You really care, glad to meet you! I was a head cook and head manager for a district where I live,many years ago, we made everything from scratch, we trained everyone on how to do things.Our district always attracted ppl that had cooking knowledge, and really cared about giving kids and faculty the best and took pride in doing so.Sounds like you!

[@felixthecat2786]

I went to a private school from kindergarten to 8th grade. School lunch was wonderful until 7th-8th grade. They started giving students much less food with much less variety. When i entered high school my first year was perfectly fine and then they starting gradually getting rid of variety and food amount. It's better to just make lunch for your kids

[@patriciaisaacs3080]

Tbh, my school didn't even let us go down a line and pick what we wanted. We just walked single file to the end, and got a filled tray. Used to always be jealous of anyone on tv in school based shows where they could pick what they wanted out of what was offered for that day 😭

[@worshipthecomedygodseoeunk4010]

im a teacher in mn and the lunches for majority of students at our school are free or reduced since the student population live mostly below the poverty line. however, the lunch ladies make it nearly from scratch and since our school is pretty small, theyre able to make it pretty decent quality. we only have about 60 students in the cafeteria at a time. im actually jealous because the fresh meal they get looks better than my sad microwaved pizza lol but they dont let teachers eat the school lunch. even if they get pizza, its freshly ordered from some local pizzeria. kid me is so sad i grew up with reheated frozen breadsticks and soggy hamburgers but im glad kids now in my state have it better than i did

[@serily4524]

No jealous

[@D0ugh.B0y]

But there’s no quality learning in the schools either despite the quality of the food. At the end of the day, they’re treating our children as if they’re preparing them for prison or jail or whatever, and that line. Because I tell you what, I’ve been to jail, I’ve been to prison, and the food is a lot better there than it was in public school growing up. It’s the school to prison pipeline man. They’ll never change it.

[@PoggoMcDawggo]

Wanna know something messed up? In Texas, when I was a kid, they had every child in my city take an aptitude test to determine who would likely flunk out or end up in jail later on in life. The kids with lower scores didn't get the special treatment kids with higher scores got. Which, in turn, would make it more likely those kids would fail in school and end up in jail. This was like 5th grade too. So some schools quite literally set kids up in some sort of cradle to prison pipeline. It's wild.

[@Serai3]

No, your children are being prepared to work in warehouses, or whatever scut work is useful to the wealthy. It used to be factories, now it's Amazon warehouses. "Education" is only for the wealthy. The rest of us are presumed to be donkeys who'll work for krap wages.

[@citizencoy4393]

I moved to GA and went to volunteer at the local middle and high school. My mouth was on the floor. I had NEVER seen schools that operate exactly like prison systems until I came to GA and I’m from racist Florida! Middle schoolers were STILL walking in lines to get around! I confronted the school and was pretty much told to “get over it it’s the way things are”

[@gpl992]

@@citizencoy4393 went to Middle school in rural North Carolina on the border with South Carolina and it was also like that.I thought it was normal.

[@brownprincess7189]

@@PoggoMcDawggo 😕

[@LifeOfReshmalai]

In the U.K., in London around 2005-2010 the school lunches were unhealthy but they tasted really nice, but when you started going outside of London and into the north it wasn’t as great

[@A_Subtle_Player]

This is very important thank you for you effort you put into this video, I cant stand the thought of a public school.

[@imalikconnor]

Public schools are actually a very good idea. We need a well-educated population to operate our businesses. Unfortunately, the US Government treats education like a necessary evil

[@A_Subtle_Player]

@@imalikconnor Alright homeschooled perfect little life. You spend 18 years dealing with drama queens and prison food.

[@herpderpified]

Seeing the from scratch cooking in school made me start to tear up. I remember going hungry because of not having lunch money and not feeling bad about it because school lunch in Iowa is shit. Seeing these guys and gals doing honest to goodness work with fresh food just like I'd dreamed of being able to make in home ec and cooking classes is a dream come true I'm sure. Reading comments about not being able to leave school to go home and eat or get fast food to be forced to pay for and eat the reheated garbage they served really struck a chord. Being poor in America means being forced into unhealthy, bland, barely nutritious lifestyles. Really truly glad to see that coming around in some places. Down with corporate greed schemes and Reagan era nonsensities!

[@ladymunsonthemagnificent6929]

Yes!👍

[@mason6316]

Michelle obama is responsible for how bad school food is. She tried to make it “nutritious”. Look it up

[@gonelucid]

Gimme a break they probably had decent in-house cooked food in Iowa schools yall just want to cry about it and be a victim

[@alienvomitsex]

It's a mixture of class warfare and soft genocide. "There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning" -Warren Buffett

[@xSamiraLive]

this food is free

[@ericvulgate]

Prison food. Just getting them used to it.

[@thembanjoko2844]

Exactly!💯 No country's perfect, but the US needs to stop portraying themselves as the best in the world at everything, some so called "third world countries" provide better healthcare, education and better working conditions, if only more people knew about the true reality of the U.S.

[@PoggoMcDawggo]

Tfw prison food was better than my grade school's food.

[@meriambenabdallah9495]

@@PoggoMcDawggo no kidding and now that I thought of it ( your comment from another comment) I think I now know what the benchmark tests were for...

[@curtisthomas2670]

Many of the companies that supply school lunches also supply meals for prisons

[@sortasurvival5482]

@@curtisthomas2670 can attest. Ga jails serve exact same meat sauce as florida schools. That flavor and texture is unmistakable

[@ChairmanMeow1]

I remember I went to a smaller primary school, and the lunches were great. A lot of it was cooked and made at the school. But then when I moved to high school, it was the crap shown in this video. It was awful. Also -- it is awesome the kids joined up together to combat this in a positive way.

[@SaltyDooDoo]

Great video!

[@mariekatherine5238]

As a student teacher back in the 1980’s, having to eat school lunch was a threatened punishment. The few kids who ate them willingly were truly poor. A ketchup packet counted as a serving of vegetables. Just like in the military, there were names for the various entrees. Sh-t on a Shingle, Pig in the Trough, Hockey Puck on Ice, Chicken Frickin’ Pee, Veal Vomitus…

[@mtpstv94]

What is referred to as shit on a shingle in the military is actually good and you would be happy to eat it in any war for damn sure. People at it by choice at home.

[@davidsavage5630]

Uh no, there was a world of difference between what I ate at school and what I ate during basic at Ft. Jackson. There's a reason I came out of basic 35 lbs heavier. The food in the military was really good. To me anyway..

[@mtpstv94]

@@davidsavage5630 Yea the food in the military is (or was in 2000) damn near luxury. In the Marines (in BOOT CAMP!) they would give you tons of options, fish, noodles, pears, bread, orange/grape/etc drinks, you had choices. There is no one complaining in boot camp about the food. School food has always been literal prison food or only slightly better. I was in jail for 3 days once over a weekend for an accusation and you wouldn't feed this food to a dog.

[@nicimizoni1687]

@@mtpstv94 The food for police dogs, is more expensive as for the inmates xd

[@AskanHelstroem]

​@@davidsavage5630 that's exactly what a teacher told me. We've got a teacher from the US (in germany). And he said, while the food at school was ridicule, The military cantine was like a two-star restaurant. "But a rookie needs that energy! He has to train, and learn important stuff!!" Start comparing a school to a prison. U will notice, in many cases, even a prison is better off... If I remember right, there even was a "program" for pupils, to work in the cafeteria for their cafeteria food...is/was that correct?

[@I2AmUS]

We used to call the bag sandwich lunch a "Choke Sammich". The meat was dried out, the bread was stale, the cheese was government cheese. The fruit was good, that's it. When the lunch ladies cooked food, we were delighted! Processed foods and carbs....not good food for healthy minds. Today, the foods look worse. They are just short of a prison loaf. The subcontracting companies that they hire don't give AF about human life.

[@seanrowshandel1680]

Then don't call it GOVERNMENT CHEESE!

[@kareemawad35]

All of 11th grade, I had a teacher that would give a group of us the key to one of the gates to go buy food from restaurants across the road. That was a good year, burgers, Mexican tacos/burritos, McDonald’s, Taco Bell.

[@meyou2236]

I'm from Central Texas, and my school meals were amazing. For breakfast there was always several options, cereal, eggs, toast, burritos, cinnamon rolls, etc. For lunch, you we were given two entrees to choose from during the morning that were prepared by lunchtime. Everyone loved the lunch ladies. The only pork products to avoid were sausage and jello desserts.

[@meyou2236]

Oh... If you didn't want the lunch entrees, you could go through the salad bar, which also let you choose toppings for a baked potato if you wanted.

[@johnp139]

Why did you need breakfast? Shouldn’t you eat breakfast at home before leaving for school?

[@lordsiomai]

smuggling school lunches outside is something I thought I'd never hear in my life.

[@betawolfhd]

Man imagine being a student again and going to a cafeteria that treats you like a person. It's almost beyond my imagination

[@evoman44]

Now that you mention it I bet inmates get treated better for lunch.

[@randomguy6556]

Went to a charter school who still bought food from the school district. It was bad when i entered in 6th grade. Eventually when i left the middle school section the lunch ladies were testing diffeent lunch ideas and products. Such as grilled cheese sandwich with 100% milk cheese, cheese stuffed bread sticks, chimichanga, teriyaki bowls with rice and grean beans, and changed from frozen pizza boxes to dominos pizza. Once i got to the highschool section the next year they had drastically changed the lunches. Most of the packaged foods were gone besides a few who werent the healthiest but were light and easy to prepare which usally most students who were in a rush or didn't want to eat alot got. Then there were more packaged foods slightly more healthy than the old ones. There were also in house made items. Such as chicken quesadillas, chichen ribs and chease burgers, grilled cheese sandwich, bean and cheese burritos, breakfast sandwiches.

[@kevinhrankowski734]

I live in Canada and went to 2 different High Schools. In both the cafeterias offered food made by students taking a cook training class taught by a red seal chef. The food was always very good and you had several options. I always remember getting a fettuccine alfredo with chicken. I'm not sure if it's the same in every school in Canada but my experience compared to the US school lunches I have seen on KZbin and other platforms seem a world apart.

[@sokucm7309]

It speaks volumes when teachers AND principles don’t even eat the school lunch. How do you expect children to function off of garbage that’s processed and microwaved. Governments really don’t want to spend top $ to have meals made from scratch because it will require “too much”.

[@The_Moth1]

Money over health. Give governments some control over school meals and they’ll always go for the half edible food-like products, “to save money”. You’ve got money for a reason!!!

[@markfreeman4727]

@@The_Moth1 that money is needed for their 10th luxury mansion and third private Yacht, they can;t afford to feed the kids

[@gerishahackett1176]

The school lunches they used to give us in highschool reminded me of the prison food you would see being served to inmates in movies, and we were rarely allowed to get seconds. I also had the opposite experience in elementary school, there was a group of stay at home moms who volunteered as kitchen staff, they cooked our lunches fresh every day and we had dishes like shepherds pie, and tamales, and most importantly we were allowed to eat as much as we wanted until lunch recess was over.

[@GetUnwoke]

They're pretty much from the same place, both government funded meals.

[@kuromu8467]

I don't why they'd rather throw away the food then give seconds

[@davidsavage5630]

No. No. There are three tiers in my experience. Military. School. And then jail. I thought the food in the chow hall in the military was actually good. School food was so so. Some days were better than others but it was never as good as military food. Jail food is trash. Literal garbage. I used to think that scene in Shawshank Redemption where he picks a live maggot out of the food was an exaggeration. It isn't..

[@SYDAirlineEnthusiast]

I feel like those school lunches were made by the prison chef, though in prison, you would just be served a mound of white stuff or brown stuff.

[@boi5599]

Our school had the Shmuckers uncrustables for some random reason, and if you werent there at lunch fast enough they'd be all gone the first 5 mins

[@josemilian4167]

remember watching a documentary about conflict of interests for people deciding what was healthy in schools and them having ties to meat and diary business as personal investments. unsure if that's still the current state or if they were removed from board. but made sense so much diary and processed meats were in lunches when i watched it.

[@yomigonzalez9870]

And they charge kids for these! I went to school from middle to high in Puerto Rico and the lunches are superb! White rice with beans and pork chops, white rice and beef stew. Chicken curry. And they're free! For all students. You don't have to apply for anything. Edit to add: The school lunches in PR are made at the school. It not only makes the food better, but it also entices the kids to eat at school cause come 10am and you start to smell the food being made. We as humans, eat with our eyes and nose before we ever even taste the food.

[@capricorndrbird]

I went to public school from kindergarten to 4th grade from the late 80s to early 90s and it was frozen food that was clearly microwaved. However when my parents transferred me and my siblings to catholic school we were surprised to see cafeteria staff actively cooking food. The lunch in catholic school was a huge difference when it came to my past public school lunches. There were a few things I'd like on the menu in public school. I'm a teacher now and see how the kids do not like school lunches unless it's the ready made cereals and milks or a bagel and cream chese. It's wild to me that even now in the 2000s where the country is supposed to be more health conscious and aware of the wide array of food allergies that the school lunches have not changed. The main take away from this is the there are variations of the public school lunches depending on what state you live in. That's America inconsistent as usual. And every state has their own jurisdictions and then it shows because there are inconsistencies on the standards of the food.

[@joltjolt5060]

I LOVED my school lunch in Atlanta in the 70s. Those mamas cooking soul food in the kitchen showed us kids LOVE. We ate cooked veggies but we loved them. Ty mamas.

[@saffron1996]

weeeeelllll here in canada in my highschool we didnt get much options 5.00 small dry fries, add 2 dollars to make it a "poutine"(they just put 2tbsp of gravy and cheese) ready made jamacian patties 5.00 each (from the frozen boxes at the grocery store) 5.00 slice of pizza the size of half my hand, 2.00 for a "muffin top cookie" and 2.00 for various artificially flavoured juices on tap(no refills, one size only)... nothing else. and nothing is free. the majority of the time i made my own lunch and brought it (if we had food in the fridge that day) or scrounge the couch cushions for change and debate if i should use it to buy food or use it for bus money. i ended up stealing a lot of food from a local bakery along with a handful of other fellow students (do not steal kids, even if you are hungry youll regret it later) and 2 years later they had to ban students in general because hungry thieves kept coming

[@jalicea1650]

In Puerto Rico, a colony of the USA, serves better food than this! We have rice with beans, tostones, tasty chicken, we always get amazing food from our cafeterias. I never understood why Americans allow their schools to be so subpar when it comes to nutrition! We need to demand better food for children! Regardless of their zip code or family's wealth. All children should have access to at least good meal a day!

[@PoggoMcDawggo]

Please stop. You're making me hungry. Rice and beans with chicken is my weakness!

[@user-vg8ox3he1i]

The answer is simple: America is not a functional democracy. So of course if you ask regular people, 'should kids have good lunches' they would say "yes", but their voice doesn't matter. What does matter is that some corporation is making a few people super rich by serving cheap garbage to kids, those rich people buy politicians and school boards through regulatory capture. So nothing can be changed because all the mechanisms for change have been compromised. That's a pretty representational model for almost every major problem in America and most countries.

[@Serai3]

MONEY. It's the only thing this country cares about. If you ever become a state, you'll find yourselves subject to the same disgusting attitude.

[@citizencoy4393]

Well that would be too much like equality and the goal of america is not equality it’s the illusion of equality. What ur suggesting would mean an increase in attention at school which is opposite of the goal.

[@jalicea1650]

@@user-vg8ox3he1i very true and sad. The cafeterias in Puerto Rico are managed locally and lots of parent's volunteer if asked. So much of the food is what we have at home. Children never go hungry even when we have little to offer. The children get delicious homemade food at school. I'm surprised Americans don't adopt the same model that their colonies have.

[@BuckBlaziken]

I was lucky enough to go through a high school where the school lunch was actually decently made, not the best food, but good to get you through the day without having to worry about messing up your health. The food tasted alright, but never bland… But I’ve always been a little envious of how other countries treat their kids and how they feed their children.

[@colonelklink6095]

As long as it isn't spoiled and has some nutritious value, eat it. It's not supposed to be a gourmet meal. It's supposed to be enough to get you through your day at school. Eat a hardy meal for dinner. Problem solved.

[@sebastianmarquez3725]

my school had a cafeteria class where a group supervised of students would cook for any kid/teacher that wanted to buy food. the food never disappointed

[@Puiz4Life]

In my country they actually just rent out spaces to small business owners, usually local families. They provide different and unique options and students are free to choose. They cook it on a daily basis. To keep it cheap, rent is very very low.

[@davidyoung6400]

That's actually really cool. Where are you from if you don't mind me asking?

[@sarahspindler2914]

I work at an elementary school and I have lunch duty 3 days a week, 1 hr each time, and twice I’ve seen students report mold on their food. The school is a Title 1 school, so this is the only meal some of these kids can count on. We have to do better!

[@noahmizrahi9834]

If that is the only meal they can count on, their parents should be investigated. IF parents cant make a breakfast,pack a lunch and make supper then something is wrong. Its always kids walkin around with iPhones and expensive shoes saying school food is awful. sell that smart phone and buy mcdonalds.

[@sarahspindler2914]

@@noahmizrahi9834 It's not always abuse. Some families can't afford to feed their kids.

[@noahmizrahi9834]

@@sarahspindler2914 they shouldn't have had kids, and there is always food pantries,EBT,tanf,ojt,disability,everystate has some outreach, some families get over $1300 EBT alone and if parents are vets even more options etc etc myom and dad work hard from nothing, I always had wat I needed

[@genkani4239]

As a Florida lunch lady I can say that I work had to make sure there is no mold or old products served to the children. If I wouldn’t eat it myself then I don’t serve it. I have an amazing manager though that supports this. I just wish I could actually serve flavorful food and not bland stuff. The ability to season food was removed when Obama put forth the a bunch of ‘healthy’ food laws. Everything has to be carefully measured to keep the kids on a strict calorie diet. This fight against obese children has been taken too far imo.

[@alienvomitsex]

​@@noahmizrahi9834 Noah assumes everyone is privileged because he is. Did you know the American federal poverty level for a family of four is around $25k/year? Since you've solved poverty for us, let's hear you how you'd feed four people on that.

[@lzh4950]

Some public schools in my country restrict what food overweight students can order off their canteens' menus, probably to promote healthier eating. The food is usually cooked fresh by multiple stalls in each school's canteen by small businesses, instead of at a central kitchen, and sold at a reduced price compared to market rates

[@shelle7123]

School lunches have always been subpar, but further into school I went the better the school so fortunately I didn't really have meals like these. Heck we even got to order pizzas in middle school and in high school we were able to go off campus. Surprisingly enough the lunches were good enough for the teachers to get in line. But one thing that always stuck with me was to *NEVER*, *EVER* eat school pizza. And that's because in an elementary school I went to, the pizza was grey with ice still on the damn thing. Really terrible how we're supposed to be encouraging healthy habits while being served garbage. 🙄

[@hirohidetokoro9423]

I'm a native Japanese born and still living in Japan, but used to live in the US and China. If talking about school lunch, I'm very sorry but when I was in NYC, their public highschool was the worst. Not only school lunch but also any kind of foodie things, I personally recommend much more Asian ideas. We eat much more variety of fresh vegitables and pretty different ways of cooking. You guys can try at Japanese, Chinese or Korean supermarkets. We do have much more choices of any kind of seasonings also. Thanks.

[@nikhilkay1]

food in US generally available for middle class is probably the worst among developing nations, developed nation or even under dev nations. I grew up in Nepal, the food quality was better, especially the meat or produce.

[@hirohidetokoro9423]

@@nikhilkay1 I'm still living in Japan. I completely agree. Too much artificial stuff mostly for pretty average income people, even in Japan. And when I was in the US also, especially because it was the 80's. When I was in China about twenty years ago, everything at their open air markets were very fresh.

[@alienvomitsex]

@@hirohidetokoro9423 you both are completely correct. When you see a very overweight or obese American there's a (very) high chance they live in poverty. USA has 'food deserts' in very rural and very urban areas where fresh food is harder to find. People living there survive on fast food and packaged, processed items. Those with multiple jobs also are time-poor and have little time to exercise. The american dream is a joke to most of us.

[@teresahiggs4896]

So many kids eat crap meals at home and don’t eat vegetables at home so won’t eat them at school. They need ro be exposed ro vegetables I elementary school, ( and at home) .

[@jeffery1855]

Bertrand Weber is an absolute legend! It’s great to see the kids getting the nutrition they need

[@dilberthigh]

Unfortunately it isn't equitable. Some schools in Minneapolis still don't have kitchens. It's disgusting how some schools are treated.

[@alienvomitsex]

​@@dilberthigh Widespread systemic changes in the USA are historically gradual and painfully slow. Best advice would be to organize and protest as these students did.

[@jamesshipley9164]

My middle school in NC was some of the worst food I've ever had in my life. "Pizza" was basically wonderbread with ketchup and then baked into a cracker consistency. Chicken nuggets that were so tough and cold that you didn't want to finish the whopping four of them you'd get as your entree. My HS in Wisconsin later was honestly amazing, setup like a mall food court offering various types of food each day and it was all excellent. I worked in an actual prison later on as a CO and it was so much better than my middle school

[@UnderAvg]

The kids are super authentic here. Love it!

[@di2oc]

Back in my days school lunch was so good we had a whole cafeteria running with 3 cooks everything was Cooked fresh I’m from happy valley Oregon btw. As of now when I attended school in California I found out the school lunch is the same company that does prison food and their is no cooks in the cafeteria so it’s totally different compared to 30 years ago I’m almost 40 now I really appreciated my child hood because I felt like as if my generation was the last to get the best and they should continue on doing that for our future generations if they can to have them feel the best experience’s it will improve human behaviors. I still miss eating cafeteria food to this day, just the memories of good times .

[@junjunjamore7735]

I attended school in Tualatin in 2010, our lunch was not as bad as the beginning of this video, but still mostly reheatable frozen food. Our school had like six lines though, one line was for vegetarians if I remember correctly, and the longest line was for Subway. Looking at the school lunch menu online now, it seems mostly the same.

[@darren2100]

I went pricy private school and their food was disgusting and very expensive. Not to mention they had exact same meal for 4 years. It got so bad students start making delivery system by having friends go out buy foods for the rest or order huge quantities of food delivery. Then school blocked the entrance of deliveries saying all students need to eat their food (Which is not part of the pre-paid fee).

[@SSchithFoo]

Crazy! Lots of these regulations are just there to give an unfair advantage, the complete opposite of how capitalism shud happen. Some schools force you to buy even stationary through the school and pay like double or triple the price.

[@ddhalia]

That's messed up.

[@noahmizrahi9834]

I go to a Private cathedral school now, because my parents pay all that tuition yearly our food is excellent. so i disagree you went to a private school. Parents would never allow substandard food in the school i go too. even the Jusit high school my brother goes too is the same way, all our parents pay for the upkeep,salaries sports equipment etc, so going to pvt school would never have substandard lunch food.

[@___Anakin.Skywalker]

Well it was wrong to not patronize local business

[@noahmizrahi9834]

@@teramalik7260 Your a fat girl

[@saifis]

Its sad, having fond memories of school lunches when I was a kid is like a core memory for me.

[@MrEd8846]

I remember them trying to do a school lunch reform in my district back when i was in highschool. And it sorta worked but sorta didnt. You just had more options. You had the regular school lunch then if you didnt mind paying a little more or a little less you could get like salads or some sort of deli type sandwich (pretty similar to what youd find at a grocery store tbh) or sometimes theyd have personalized pizzas. And ofcourse the free lunch which was usually the worst PB&J or balogna sandwich youve ever eaten with some fruit. Never experienced rotted or moldy food though. Even at summer school where it was all downgraded we didnt get clumpy milk or moldy food. I think the best meal day i remember was probably nacho day until they changed the meat and you really had to get there before they started thinning down the melted cheese with milk. Lol

[@alexandernava-castaneda228]

As someone who always had to pay for lunch as my family made just enough to not get free lunch but not enough to not struggle for a bit to afford everything I always made lunch from home and brought extra snacks for trade or cash. The money I would make made me a target by students who want to take it from me. This is one of things that made me realize that American schools are just prisons for children.

[@tylerhackner9731]

I’m glad I didn’t have school lunch

[@jeanlafrance8746]

Same, I lived a few minutes away from the school and ate home everyday. Good meals always prepared with love by my parents. I was very lucky.

[@user-iy3mz4yq6g]

The students' artworks on their posters, shirts, and murals are REALLY GOOD.

[@KingofWisdom]

People in the US school system eat like they are in prison (it's actually the same company that provides both prisons and schools with their food). And parents in the US don't love their kids enough to make them a healthy meal for them to take with them.

[@D1andOnlyHammer]

So, we have funding to bail out banks and companies but can't fund our school meals. HILARIOUS! As a parent , I've not been a fan of the school lunches and have talk to my kids about cooking at their school with a complete different menu. From scratch at the school.

[@MrRuggedboy27]

This has to change , children needs nourishment to be able to focus and for their growth

[@chad8155]

I met a guy who owned a company that made food for both prisons and schools. He told me that the prison food was the same quality as school (which was low)

[@amapparatistkwabena]

From K-12 I always had decent lunch at school. I always wondered why school lunch was made out to be so terrible on TV. As an adult I still didn't understand it until I finally began teaching at a low-income school. The lunches are truly terrible and the parents couldn't care less.

[@kenxiong6830]

There use to be lunch ladies in the cafeteria that would make school lunches for students. These ladies got down in the kitchen and made amazing meals. I looked forward to meals at school because it was so good. Nowadays instead of having fresh food made at school, they have outsourced it to private businesses that are more concerned about cutting costs and saving money. Our students deserve better. If you want to educate children about healthy eating, the school cafeteria is a great place to start!!!

[@Jimux]

I grew up in Hong Kong and came to the states when I was 14. In Hong Kong, we will get a "menu choice" at the beginning of each month, each day gets 4 different choices. Usually the C lunch choices are "American styles" such as burgers for international or picky students, but we usually get rice, soup, meat with veggies. My favorite was the Hong Kong baked tomato pork chop rice. Every dishes are freshly cooked by a independent company and transport to each classroom according to the number of each lunch choices ordered by the students the month before. The workers will always bring some extras in case if students want to make a last minute switch. Honestly, I hated school but I always looked forward to lunch time in Hong Kong. When I came to the state, I was very disappointed to how much process, dry and low quality food we served to our kids here. If you treat kids with inmate food, how can you expect them to eager to learn at school?

[@tacoponcho]

If the lunches were so great in Hong Kong why didnt you stay there

[@ashyroy9454]

​@@tacoponcho because 14 year old is the one to make such a decision

[@insertusername132]

@@tacoponcho Not an expert but China isn't the nicest in terms of things.

[@tacoponcho]

@@ashyroy9454 ok if china is so great why didnt they all stay there? Why is there millions of chinese constantly leaving there to stay in the US?

[@American_2]

@@tacoponcho idk if you've been cramped up in a cave, but maybe you should go and see. But I may be doubting myself because you completely read ashyroy's comment wrong.

[@charliefu7870]

In my country China we don’t have large Muslim population but we have separate canteen for Muslim students. And majority of the people eat pork. When I was in primary school there was only one Muslim student (my best friend) and my school special ordered him Muslim meal every day.

[@EM-yc5il]

Have you been to a regular supermarket recently? Corporations have spent generations convincing Americans that crap like Special-K and Ellio's Pizza is good for you. The root of the problem is the American culture, systemic poverty, and the average intelligence of its citizens. Don't forget the correlation of public schools and the prison industrial complex.

[@Rina_165]

Y'all please do not get mad at the lunch staff. I have worked for 8 years in the school cafeteria. They are trying their best but there is so much the cafeteria staff can do. Everything is generated by the state. Believe me, cafeteria staff hear their students and try their best to be a voice for the students when meetings come up. But they're always a no to everything and budget this and budget that. You also have to remember that the cafeteria staff is very low. So most of the time they try their best to feed the students with little staff that they do have. Honestly, I had to leave the cafeteria due to low pay (as a manager)I was not able to pay rent and had to find a better job. Believe me, it used to kill me when the kids didn't like anything that was served that day. No one in the District wants to listen. A lot of the school district has gone towards prepared food due to the fact of cutting so many jobs in the cafeteria. The food that the parents and students want the school district to make, the school can't afford. School districts cannot afford to put extra people in the kitchen to make fresh homemade meals. And no one wants to work in a kitchen where they hardly get paid. I miss my students but I have to choose between putting food on the table for my kids at home.

[@ItsMrDon]

love how the old guy at the end thats in charge was super critical of his own menu. shows his dedication

[@jake00942]

i was excited most days for school lunch, I look back on it fondly wishing I could have some of it once again :(

[@anthonyrivers121]

I live in the country and when I was still going to school and, my schools got food from the local farmers. Since the US pays farms to destroy crops if they over farm. Most of the farmers around the area would give the extra food that they produced to the school so we got a lot of fresh made food at school almost every day

[@QinglongTemper]

Grew up eating Milwaukee school lunches, I have to say it's really nice having someone go over the situation in such detail, learned a lot :)

[@Codi892]

Wow. The high school I went to had lunch set up like a hospital cafeteria. You could go to the many different stations and buy whatever that station had like chicken, salad, cheeseburger, etc. We even had a convenience store to buy outside snacks and drinks. But I went to a township school, so maybe that is the difference.

[@jenevievecrouch1145]

I went to a township school too and the food ranged from decent to mid to a crime against humanity.Also depending on a students parent's income,lunch was or wasn't free.

[@F-Bomb313]

school lunches were so disgusting that all through junior high and high school, I just skipped lunch all together

[@jacob9626]

when i went to highschool my parents didn't really have the money to give me for school lunch, so they had an alternative to offer for kids who didn't have the money to buy anything. (school lunch was about 2.50 or 3.50) but the "alternative meal" they had to offer was just a cheese sandwich. there was no mayo, mustard, just bread that was either stale or almost expired and stale cheese with some old white milk. i actually got sick a few times eating the alternative meals and i think that it is just wrong that schools can get away with serving food like that to lower income families

[@elananova]

Another case for scratch cooked meals: I would TOTALLY become a lunch lady if I could cook beautiful, fresh healthy, meals by hand for children every day!

[@CCP-Lies]

Budget and food sources

[@parkyercarcass]

@@CCP-Lies we can afford to do this, and we throw out more food every day than it takes to feed every child in the country. the pentagon has failed it's fifth financial audit in a row and cannot account for trillions of dollars. it's not an issue of 'we can't afford this', it's an issue of we choose to not afford this.

[@JLT0087]

Doesn't all need to be fresh/organic. Canned ingredients are OK, just get the lunchladies cooking again.