Enough mystery meat

Ahh, the school lunch. Despite progress elsewhere in the average American’s daily culinary experience (think Whole Foods, farmers markets, international foods), there’s been little progress made on the compartmentalized plastic trays served to the nation’s kinder.

The reason for corn dogs and chicken nuggets and other cheap, processed items stems from their predictability and ostensible cost-effectiveness. Popping something on a tray is less time-consuming than fiddling around with God-forbid fresh produce. Most school cafeterias aren’t even set up to do the kind of chopping and prep work that goes into real cooking. But more than bad policies and bad habits, we have failed in this regard because of a complete lack of imagination. Ask yourself: What would it be like if school lunches featured local produce and lean meats? What if children took cooking classes at school and understood the farm-to-table progression? What if, by buying direct from local growers and producers, schools supported a network of small businesses? This is not airy-fairy hooey—it’s an opportunity to grow the local economy and chip away at our gross negligence in the area of childhood nutrition.

School nutrition policy is on the radar of the new administration, whose members have clearly shown an interest in change. Meanwhile, if this is an issue that’s important to you, I strongly encourage you to speak up, regardless of what you think the outcome will be. Kind suggestions in the name of children can go far, and you’d be surprised at the willingness of daycare centers and schools to incorporate parents’ ideas. In Baton Rouge, First United Methodist Church’s Early Learning Center recently did away with white bread and rice, desserts and snacks with high sugar. Trinity Episcopal School was the first school to partner with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana’s Louisiana 2 Step program. And University United Methodist’s Child Development Center recently retooled its menu to incorporate original recipes and fresh produce. Many schools have added gardens as learning tools as well.

There is much work to be done, but we have to start somewhere.