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Original poster

School food in North America - is it that bad?

135 replies

UndertheCedartree · 20/08/2022 18:33

My DD and I were watching a video on 'school food around the world'. The North American meal didn't look very fresh but ok. It was chicken nuggets, very gloopy looking mash, peas, a giant chocolate chip cookie and some tinned fruit. But in the comments loads of people were saying that's gourmet food compared to what you actually get. People saying the food is routinely burnt, under cooked, rotten. Loads of comments all agreeing on this. So I'm just being curious - can it really be that bad? If it was wouldn't parents, teachers and governors complain? And how could they pass an inspection?

OP posts:
AtleastitsnotMonday · 20/08/2022 19:25

This is second hand info, but an American friend of mine definitely speaks of a diet of chocolate milk, pizza and fries at her high school but I guess that is just one option at one school so probably not reflective of all of the USA! To be fair they serve up pizza and chips here too.

AtleastitsnotMonday · 20/08/2022 19:26

Excuse the horrific lack of punctuation in that post!

VimFuego101 · 20/08/2022 19:32

It's not healthy (trump revoked some requirements for nutrition such as having to have certain amounts of fruit, veg and whole grains) but I've never heard of any issues with the actual presentation of it in our school district. Schools where I live are required to feed kids twice a day so they give them breakfast (cereal bar, donut, or similar) and lunch is a choice of chocolate or regular milk with a main and dessert. They also provided 2 meals per week day during covid even when schools were closed - you could drive up and get a food parcel. If kids are off school with covid then you get a card with money on it so that you can buy food from the supermarket. So kids are at least fed well, even if it's not the healthiest of diets.

Entwifery · 20/08/2022 19:34

I don't recall it being particularly horrible. There were perhaps not many fresh vegetables served when I was a child in the 90's (I remember a lot of boiled peas and carrots) but in high school there was a decent enough selection and the food wasn't rotten or burnt. But then again I'm from a wealthy area of the country so can't speak for every state and school district

FredGarland · 20/08/2022 19:34

I watched a video by Evan Edinger on YouTube this week: he was comparing a New Jersey school menu to two British school menus.

He said that pizza counts as a vegetable - genuinely thought he was joking but this agrees with him 😶

DayYTY · 20/08/2022 20:07

I read an article on the BBC news website about how different countries around the world are struggling with food prices. In the US they interviewed someone who was responsible for sourcing good for a school and she commented about when she couldn’t get peanut butter, which the children all love. I was surprised because schools in the UK are now generally nut free and wondered if that’s not normally the case in the US/if maybe there are less nut allergies?

Sorry, not really the point of the thread but it made me think of it!

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 20/08/2022 20:08

AtleastitsnotMonday · 20/08/2022 19:25

This is second hand info, but an American friend of mine definitely speaks of a diet of chocolate milk, pizza and fries at her high school but I guess that is just one option at one school so probably not reflective of all of the USA! To be fair they serve up pizza and chips here too.

Yes, it was the extreme of food being burnt or rotten etc that I was wondering about rather than if it was healthy per se.

OP posts:
DayYTY · 20/08/2022 20:08

“food” not “good”!

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 20/08/2022 20:13

VimFuego101 · 20/08/2022 19:32

It's not healthy (trump revoked some requirements for nutrition such as having to have certain amounts of fruit, veg and whole grains) but I've never heard of any issues with the actual presentation of it in our school district. Schools where I live are required to feed kids twice a day so they give them breakfast (cereal bar, donut, or similar) and lunch is a choice of chocolate or regular milk with a main and dessert. They also provided 2 meals per week day during covid even when schools were closed - you could drive up and get a food parcel. If kids are off school with covid then you get a card with money on it so that you can buy food from the supermarket. So kids are at least fed well, even if it's not the healthiest of diets.

Ah, ok, thanks for the information. My DD is on free school meals and we were lucky that our school provided supermarket vouchers all through lockdown and have carried on with it during the holidays. I know some schools provided food parcels but they were of variable quality. I'm not sure if all schools in the UK provide the vouchers for FSM DC in the holidays or not, though.

OP posts:
mindutopia · 20/08/2022 20:14

I went to school in the US in the 80s and 90s and certainly in primary it was cartons of chocolate milk by the pallet full and burgers and pizza microwaved in the packet and chucked on a plate.

I went to quite a posh private secondary school and we had nice food and a salad bar and soup, but I think that isn’t the norm.

Yes, most state schools have food exactly as you see it in photos. It’s grim.

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 20/08/2022 20:14

Entwifery · 20/08/2022 19:34

I don't recall it being particularly horrible. There were perhaps not many fresh vegetables served when I was a child in the 90's (I remember a lot of boiled peas and carrots) but in high school there was a decent enough selection and the food wasn't rotten or burnt. But then again I'm from a wealthy area of the country so can't speak for every state and school district

Ah, thank you.

OP posts:
Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 20/08/2022 20:16

FredGarland · 20/08/2022 19:34

I watched a video by Evan Edinger on YouTube this week: he was comparing a New Jersey school menu to two British school menus.

He said that pizza counts as a vegetable - genuinely thought he was joking but this agrees with him 😶

Pizza counts as a vegetable? I have heard of fries be referred to as a vegetable - in an American book I think! I'll check the video out, sounds interesting.

OP posts:
steff13 · 20/08/2022 20:17

At my daughter's elementary school she gets three choices of an entree every day. So one day it will be a chicken sandwich which is a grilled chicken breast on a bun or maybe a pizza and then there's usually a vegetarian option. You can always have a salad instead of one of the other entree choices. There are two vegetables as a side or fruit and a vegetable everyday everybody gets that regardless of what entree you choose. Oh and you can also choose a peanut butter sandwich if you don't want the salad or one of the other entrees peanut butter sandwiches always on the menu. And there's a dessert, and you can choose to drink water white milk or chocolate milk.

steff13 · 20/08/2022 20:18

Those are just examples of the entrees that you can choose I just pick those out of the air it's three different entrees every day they rotate them throughout the month. One day this week she came home and told me that she had sticky rice.

mindutopia · 20/08/2022 20:19

I should add there is a lot of lobbying by the soya, corn, wheat industries in the US to make sure their (quite beige, not super nutritious) food is bought and served by schools. Jamie Oliver (annoying as he is) did a whole series about American school lunches. Can you imagine if breakfast clubs here served doughnuts for breakfast every day?! 😬

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 20/08/2022 20:19

DayYTY · 20/08/2022 20:07

I read an article on the BBC news website about how different countries around the world are struggling with food prices. In the US they interviewed someone who was responsible for sourcing good for a school and she commented about when she couldn’t get peanut butter, which the children all love. I was surprised because schools in the UK are now generally nut free and wondered if that’s not normally the case in the US/if maybe there are less nut allergies?

Sorry, not really the point of the thread but it made me think of it!

Yes, I've though that myself too. My DD is quite jealous at an American girl she follows on You Tube who takes peanut butter sandwiches to school!

OP posts:
MuffinMcLayLikeABundleOfHay · 20/08/2022 20:21

Why would a chicken sandwich be an entree?

steff13 · 20/08/2022 20:21

Oh and we live in Ohio, I don't know what people in Mexico and Canada have.

steff13 · 20/08/2022 20:21

MuffinMcLayLikeABundleOfHay · 20/08/2022 20:21

Why would a chicken sandwich be an entree?

Because it's not a side.

BabyofMine · 20/08/2022 20:23

I was on Free School Meals in the 90s in high school and I have pizza, chips and a chocolate cornflake cake almost every single day for my lunch. I genuinely can’t remember what drink I had, I know I didn’t take a drink into school like they do nowadays but I just can’t remember what it was. I’m sure it wasn’t water because I’ve never liked water. So it just doesn’t surprise me! I’d love to know what U.K. schools serve in high schools nowadays.

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 20/08/2022 20:23

mindutopia · 20/08/2022 20:14

I went to school in the US in the 80s and 90s and certainly in primary it was cartons of chocolate milk by the pallet full and burgers and pizza microwaved in the packet and chucked on a plate.

I went to quite a posh private secondary school and we had nice food and a salad bar and soup, but I think that isn’t the norm.

Yes, most state schools have food exactly as you see it in photos. It’s grim.

Yes, that doesn't sound very appetising. But rotten or under cooked/burnt food would be even worse - inedible.

OP posts:
XelaM · 20/08/2022 20:25

This May be completely irrelevant to what kids get in the USA, but I went to an American school in Israel for a few years and my brother to an American school in Germany and the food was amazing at both schools

mondaytosunday · 20/08/2022 20:26

Oooo I fondly remember my high school food! There were 2000 kids. We had a salad bar (not fancy but healthy options). A burger and chips station. Hot option. And probably some sandwiches (ubiquitous peanut butter and jelly and others) and a cookie and milk shake stand.
Our primary school had an often quite average but edible hot selection or sandwiches. Kosher food at Jewish holidays. Fish on Fridays.
TV shows always go for extreme examples. No doubt those featured exist, but not in my experience.

mondaytosunday · 20/08/2022 20:27

To be clear my schools were state schools.

dreamingbohemian · 20/08/2022 20:30

You can't possibly generalise about every school in North America, sorry OP but it's kind of a strange question :)

My American high school had much better lunches than my son's British secondary school today, I don't think that means much though