New York City’s Office of Food and Nutrition controls the food that is eaten in our public schools. Unfortunately, the office is severely underfunded, with a $550 million budget, reserving only approximately $1.40 per meal. This leads to us, the students affected, suffering, both from the lack of healthy options as well as desirable options that we actually want to eat.
Free school meals prevent hunger, provide balanced meals that are healthy and nutritious for the students, and also help families with lower incomes. Since the change to cost-free school lunches, 26,000 additional meals are served and there is a 4.4% increase in students eating lunch. Low income students that may not be able to afford lunch benefit from the availability of school lunch, but are often disadvantaged by the lack of healthy or desired options.
Even despite the disappointing amount of options that students enjoy or benefit from, NYC Public Schools are paving the way in health standards, exceeding those of which put in place by the US Department of Agriculture, and the city even has a list of ingredients that are prohibited from menus.
The Maspeth Messenger Team decided to interview students to see how they truly felt towards the school’s tragically underfunded lunches. These are the results:
The first student that was interviewed decided to stay anonymous.
Maspeth Messenger: Is the current lunch menu up to your tastes? (Yes/No and why)
Student: Not really, the only thing that I truly like are the mozzarella sticks.
M.M.: Has the food changed throughout all the years that you’ve been in the school?
Student: The food hasn’t changed, it has always been the same.
M.M.: What would you like to see different in the inclusivity of the cafeteria food?
Student: The thing I would like to see changed in the cafeteria food is more variety, such as white rice, fried chicken, etc.
M.M.: What are some specific meals that should be modified or added to the menu?
Student: Some foods that should be added to the menu are white rice, chicken, different fruits, and also the chicken nuggets that they used to give back when I was in elementary school.
M.M.: What are some alternative plans that you think schools could take in action to ensure everyone is satisfied with the food?
Student: They should add more variety, and also improve the quality of the food.
Second student interviewed: Yosr Zocari
Maspeth Messenger: Is the current lunch menu up to your tastes? (Yes/No and why)
Yosr Zocari: No because the food does not look appetizing, it’s sometimes greasy and/or oily. The Hamburgers are dry, and the fries are soggy.
M.M.: Has the food changed throughout all the years that you’ve been in the school?
Y.Z.: No, the food hasn’t changed. It’s always been the same.
M.M.: What would you like to see different in the inclusivity of the cafeteria food?
Y.Z.: I would like to see more options, more creativity.
M.M.: What are some specific meals that should be modified or be added to the menu?
Y.Z.: Most of the meals should all be modified, or at least the way they are prepared since the food is mostly dry or soggy, and also tastes old.
M.M.: What are some alternative plans that you think schools could take in action to ensure everyone is satisfied with the food?
Y.Z.: They should survey students, fundraise so that we can get a better lunch.
Third student interviewed: Ander Morales
Maspeth Messenger: Is the current lunch menu up to your tastes? (Yes/No and why)
Ander Morales: It depends on the food, sometimes the food is good but sometimes it’s not.
M.M.: Has the food changed throughout all the years that you’ve been in the school?
Ander M.: Due to Covid restrictions I wasn’t able to eat at school. But as of right now the school lunch is alright.
M.M.: What would you like to see different in the inclusivity of the cafeteria food?
Ander M.: The quality of the food isn’t as good, we should also get more likeable options.
M.M.: What are some specific meals that should be modified or added to the menu?
Ander M.: Some specific meals that should be added are chicken nuggets, different types of pizza, tacos, etc.
M.M.: What are some alternative plans that you think schools could take in action to ensure everyone is satisfied with the food?
Ander M.: They should create and survey students, give larger portions and improve the quality of the food.
Fourth student interviewed: Alberto Morales
Maspeth Messenger: Is the current lunch menu up to your tastes? (Yes/No and why)
Alberto Morales: No, sometimes the food we receive is past its expiration date.
M.M.: Has the food changed throughout all the years that you’ve been in the school?
Alberto M.: No it has been the same for the past three years that I’ve been in the school.
M.M.: What would you like to see different in the inclusivity of the cafeteria food?
Alberto M.: Better food quality.
M.M.: What are some specific meals that should be modified or be added to the menu?
Alberto M.: They should add more cultural foods such as Mexican.
M.M.: What are some alternative plans that you think schools could take in action to ensure everyone is satisfied with the food?
Albert M.: “hey need to increase the quality, it barely meets the requirements of “good food”.
Fifth student interviewed: Jonathan Matos
Maspeth Messenger: Is the current lunch menu up to your tastes? (Yes/No and why)
Jonathan Matos: “No, because most of the time the food isn’t good”.
M.M.: Has the food changed throughout all the years that you’ve been in the school?
J.M.: No, it’s always been the same.
M.M.: What would you like to see different in the inclusivity of the cafeteria food?
J.M.: More appetizing food, and better quality.
M.M.: What are some specific meals that should be modified or be added to the menu?
J.M.: The Pizza should be better, also add more variety.
M.M.: What are some alternative plans that you think schools could take in action to ensure everyone is satisfied with the food?
J.M.: They should put more effort into making them, and also consider surveying students.
To conclude, school lunch is a very important factor when it comes to a student's ability to do well in school. A pattern that was taken notice of is how most of the students that were interviewed wanted more variety and better quality when it comes to the food. It is prudent that we are provided with the proper nutrition to go about our educational schedule. School lunch is crucial for the well being of students and ability to function properly during school hours so that they can fully reach their academic potential, and perhaps our opinions should be taken into consideration. Some students suggested to survey students about the school lunch, and take their thoughts into consideration when creating the menu.
It is important to acknowledge that this is not an insult to the cafeteria staff. We are all incredibly grateful for the work that they do for us and the insurmountable difference that they have made in our school has not gone unnoticed.