Breaded chicken was removed, then brought back. The district has also tried to curb food waste, but it has far to go on that front.Īlong the way there’s been angst - chocolate milk was banned and then returned after students weren’t drinking regular milk.

Before the pandemic, for example, a group of vegan students and their parents regularly descended on school board meetings demanding the kind of foods they favored. More healthful foods might stand a better chance a decade later. But fewer students ate those lunches, often substituting Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and soda from their backpacks. The district then transitioned into healthier items, moving in 2011 from chicken nuggets, corn dogs, nachos and other foods high in fat, sugar and sodium to black bean burgers, tostadas, quinoa salad, vegetarian curry and fresh pears. Unified was among the first to ban soda and prepackaged junk food. Unified has been a leader in some innovations. Of course, generations of students everywhere have complained about school lunches. Sebastine was impressed by the ramen bowl: “The flavors are something I would expect to see at a restaurant, which is really surprising.”īut second-grader Faith Posada found her ramen too bland: “It has no flavor.” The croissant and the cinnamon bun, however, she rated “10 out of 10.” Also no nitrates, no sulfites, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors. Singh proudly pointed out to one student that all the sweetness in the strawberry smoothie bowl comes from the yogurt and fruit. The goal is to achieve “speed scratch” cooking, under which things are done quickly but as homemade as possible, said Manish Singh, the district’s director of food services. Food managers have reformulated the preparation, adding in more salads, for example, that can be assembled on-site while rethinking other recipes and obtaining new equipment. Student tester Sebastine Chun, an 11th-grader at Chatsworth High School, recounted the unpleasant experience of receiving a moldy hamburger.Ībout 40% of menu items can now be prepared at schools. And remodels of existing schools often removed cooking equipment. Many of the more than 100 new campuses lacked functional kitchens. Unified of the 1990s, efficiency was the priority in meal preparation, with central kitchens taking over for food prepared at school cafeterias - and prepackaged food stations installed to keep long lines moving. schools are feeding the massesĬoronavirus: While food banks struggle, L.A.'s schools are feeding the hungry Unified filled the hunger void by offering grab-and-go food for any takers, surpassing the generosity and costs borne by many other school systems during the crisis.Ĭalifornia 27,525 pounds of carrots a day: How L.A. Unified program serves more than 300,000 breakfasts, about 285,000 lunches and about 70,000 early dinners.ĭuring 13 months of pandemic-forced school closures, L.A. Every school day, the $180-million-a-year L.A. Parents’ long work schedules can be an additional challenge for preparing meals, let alone healthful ones. About 80% of students are from low-income families and many grapple with food insecurity. He polished off his croissant sandwich before even moving to the next item on his tray.įeeding L.A.'s children has long been an imperative in the nation’s second-largest school district. “It is good,” wrote diminutive third-grader Antonio Plascencia on his grading form, which he intended as high praise. “Nashville” hot chicken tenders and honey biscuits, mango smoothies and meatball sub sandwiches for lunch. But in a world of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, will students eat their school meals?Įnter turkey, ham and cheese croissants for breakfast. Los Angeles school chefs - largely responsible for providing the main source of daily nutrition for tens of thousands of children - served up new back-to-school options Friday, the latest attempt to provide healthful yet appealing food to youthful taste buds.

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