Q. "WHY AREN'T THE PORTIONS LARGER ON THE SCHOOL LUNCH MENU?"
A. The school district follows the suggested serving standards as recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). These serving standards are meant to give each child at their age level one third of their daily nutritional requirement in the school lunch.
Q. "WHY DO I SEE FOOD BEING WASTED?"
A. Two reasons...
- It is difficult to standardize servings for every child's appetite. To meet USDA standards, we must meet the requirements for children at specified age levels. We are required to serve a set amount. Some children may not be hungry enough to finish their meal.
- Children may not have the same eating standards at school as they have at home. For example, they may choose to eat their food in a different order at home. They may eat the fruit first, or may not eat some of the items at all.
Q. "WHAT ABOUT THE STUDENT WHO MAY STILL BE HUNGRY AFTER THE MEAL?"
A. While not all students fall into this category of still being hungry, there are those who may have eating habits that are based on bulk rather that nutritional requirements. The school district offers what is called an "offer versus serve" program. This means that of the five different daily menu items a student may decline up to two items. Items chosen are at the student’s own discretion and are placed in an area where they can choose to participate or not to partake. With this option there should be little reason for a student to still be hungry if they pick up all five menu items.
Q. "ARE THE FOODS THAT ARE MENUED FOR LUNCH AND BREAKFAST HIGH IN FAT?"
A. Currently our menus are reaching the state mandated requirement and are under the 30% or less fat per week. We were able to accomplish by adding choices of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. We also use lean meats, rinse and drain beef during cooking to reduce the fat content, and use reduced fat cheeses when possible.
Q. "WHY ARE THERE SO MANY STARCH ITEMS ON MOST SCHOOL LUNCH MENUS?"
A. The American Diet has been re-evaluated over the past years and it has been found that we eat far more protein and fat than necessary. U.S. dietary goals state that Americans should eat about 60% of their calories as complex carbohydrates. In line with this and the United States Department of Agriculture regulations, our menus offer the recommended amounts of protein, fruits, vegetables and grains.
Please note: With children who are active it is very important to fill their diet with a good supply of complex carbohydrates. Active children will use up the complex carbohydrates for energy first rather than the protein that the body has stored.
Q. "WHY DO THE MENUS HAVE SO MANY ITEMS PERCEIVED AS 'JUNK FOOD'?"
A. For some reason, a lot of people feel that hamburgers, pizza, tacos, etc., fall into a category called "junk food". These foods do have nutritional value and contribute to a balanced lunch. "Junk food" is food that has no nutritional value, such as hard candy, etc. Such food as hamburgers, pizza and tacos that are nutritionally prepared can be both healthy and readily accepted by children.
Q. "WHO WRITES THE MENU? WHAT IS THE PROCESS?"
A. The district child nutrition staff writes the menu. The basic format follows a three-week cycle. The menu is written with input from the student cabinet at the high school level, surveys, and an elementary student committee comprised of students from Sam Houston, Roosevelt, Garza, Rayburn, Gonzalez and Milam. Members of the school district’s child nutrition management team are also involved through additional meetings so that the kitchens that prepare the food ensure that it is possible to make and deliver the food as planned.
Q. "WHERE IS THE FOOD PURCHASED?"
A. The Food Service Department participates in the Region One Purchasing Cooperative. Together with many other districts in the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo, this team takes open bids and makes quality assurance tests of products. This gives providers equal opportunity to serve the school districts, and the school district can also be assured that it is receiving not only the best price, but also the best quality product.
Q. "WHY DO STUDENTS PAY ONE PRICE FOR THEIR LUNCHES AND THE PRICE TO ADULTS IS HIGHER?"
A. For each lunch that is served to an enrolled student, the government reimburses the school district a specified amount, generally, an average of about $1.48 to $2.02, depending on the District’s socioeconomic status. The adult lunch receives no reimbursement funds, which increases the actual cost of the meal. The current adult price of the meal is $2.50. The adult price is set at $2.50 by using the recommended formulas by USDA, the reimbursement rate of a meal, plus the commodity assistance. The school lunch program is self-supporting and is not designed for profit. Prices are increased only when necessary to keep the program in a position to maintain that status.
Q. "WHY CAN'T THIS EXCESS FOOD BE GIVEN TO STUDENTS AS SECONDS?"
A. The child nutrition department uses history from previous days or months to project the amount of food prepared. Theoretically there should be very little left over. However, the amount that is left over is minimal! Although we discourage this practice, seconds are given to students occasionally. The district is not in a position to offer seconds to all students on a consistent basis.
Q. "WHY CAN'T THE STAFF TAKE LEFTOVER FOOD HOME?"
A. This is not a practice that would be safe in regards to safe and sanitary food handling. This practice could cause a potential food-borne illness. The possibility of over production for the benefit of leftovers could cause increased food cost to the district. Finally, it may constitute an illegal "gift" of public funds.
Q. "WHY DO YOU OFFER CHOCOLATE MILK?"
A. We offer a variety of Low fat milk choices such as Chocolate, Strawberry and White Milk. All are 1% Low fat. Offering these choices encourages children to drink their milk, and establishes a habit of milk drinking that may last a lifetime.
Q. "DO YOU MODIFY MENUS TO FIT THE NEEDS OF DIVERSE POPULATIONS?"
A. Generally we offer choices to fit the needs of the students. Specifically, the Lenten season, a meatless option is offered throughout the District. In the past, fish burger or fish nuggets have not proven to be well liked by students. The food service department offers a variety of meatless options such as cheese pizza, pizza sticks, grilled cheese sandwich, etc. |
