What to look for in a lunch program:
It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?”~ Winnie the Pooh
If you know Choicelunch is not available at your school, (double check by contacting us) what should you look for in a lunch program?
Lots of options:
Kids want lots of choices. They are used to Google searches with 8 billion results and 46 kinds of toppings for their frozen yogurt. A lunch service should have more than just a handful of entrée choices. Parents of kids with allergies, for example, are looking for gluten-free and lactose-free options, too.
An emphasis on healthy foods, made from scratch:
Gone are the days when healthy foods meant brown food with strange names, like ‘legumes.’ Cooks who know their stuff can create nutrient-dense foods, full of real ingredients and flavor! Look for lunches that are made by experienced hands- people who know about seasonality and have relationships with farmers and growers.
Simple ordering:
School administrators and teachers have enough to do, so asking them to handle more work, like checks or forms, isn’t a way to make them happy. Can parents order and pay online? Do students have to bring cash that can be stolen, or lost? What about cancellations if a child is ill or a field trip is planned?
A provider who has a duty to make kids and parents happy:
A lunch program that is entirely voluntary, where parents can choose to order or not, is very different from a program which sells a certain number of meals to each school, regardless of whether the kids like the food. Many lunch programs sell a huge majority of meals directly to the schools, and are partly funded by the government. While they may need to honor some nutritional rules, they don’t have to honor the kids’ taste buds, or the parents’ wishes.
A focus on sustainability:
Look for lunches that minimize packaging and that offer biodegradable, or as waste-free meals as possible. Are there biodegradable plates or trays? What about utensils? Can the foil used really be recycled? Is the kitchen part of a food-waste program? What is shipped in from oversees?
If you hear a lot of talk about recyclable packaging, make sure that your area CAN actually recycle those materials! Many locations don’t have the facilities we think they do.
Kids should have a say in what they eat:
If the kids don’t like the food, no matter how healthy or good-intentioned the program is, it won’t last. Does your lunch service actively solicit kids’ feedback and adjust their recipes accordingly? Do kids get to have a say in what goes on the menu? Who sits down with the kids while they eat and asks what they like, and watches what goes into the food waste bin?
School lunch experts:
Small caterers have adequate facilities and experience with lots of things (we come from a family of caterers, after all!) but anyone who cooks daily meals for lots of kids needs to invest heavily in top of the line infrastructure. Little warmers, mini-vans, heat lamps or milk crates full of tepid milk do not a tasty meal make. If you see a microwave, run!
Not just lunch:
School lunch is all well and good, but if there isn’t education behind it, for the kids, the parents and, ideally, the community, you might be fighting an uphill battle trying to improve the way kids eat. Look for other ways your families can learn about healthy eating such as cooking classes or curriculum focused on nutrition, to be part of your chosen lunch program. One of the things we love is offering field trips and cooking classes. Lunch is only one meal a day and if you truly want to change something, breakfast, dinner and expectations need to be assessed, too. An ideal lunch program should help with all of that.