The Lunch Program Of Thompson Public Schools

The Problem The lunch program meets the USDA requirements of a reimbursable school lunch; however it only meets it according to the minimum, meaning it is the least healthy.

At this point in time, the new food manager for the next school year is also looking to make changes within the school lunch system to improve upon this problem. She would like to improve the quality of some of the foods we serve, order from some new companies, and make the lunches healthier by not going by the minimum health serving standards, as well as initiate some kind of salad bar. Student’s of the school systems are also very supportive of this idea.

Of students who buy lunch frequently… 61% of students surveyed dislike the school's chicken patties. 82% of students surveyed dislike the school's plain cheese pizza. 78% of students surveyed dislike the turkey and gravy meal. 65% of students surveyed dislike the school's plain hamburger. 49% of students surveyed dislike the school's mozzarella sticks.

The surveys above show that the students of Tourtellotte Memorial High School do not favor the quality of the school lunches. 89% of students said they would buy lunch if the quality of the food was improved. With more students buying lunches, the school will make more money off the lunch program. Students would also be eating healthier lunches everyday which will make for improved lifestyles of the Tourtellotte students.

Alternative Policies for a Better Lunch Program There are various amendments we can make to the current school lunch policy to fix this problem. Each option is accompanied by the pros and cons of that choice.

Improving the Quality of Food Pros:  Healthier foods  More students buying lunch  Higher profits  Higher approval rate of school Cons:  Would cost more money to get better food.  Might require new supplier if current supplier doesn’t offer better quality options.

Adding more meal and alternate options Pros:  More choices for students and teachers. Cons:  More prep time to prepare more alternatives.  Therefore, more money to pay for longer working hours.  Higher cost to buy more foods.  Might not have good quality.

Installing a Salad Bar Pros:  Healthier lunch choices.  Wouldn’t be too expensive. Cons:  Prepackaged salads  Same bad quality as the salad we have now; vegetables that aren’t fresh.

Not Changing Anything Pros:  No raise in cost. Cons:  Percentage of students buying lunch will continue to drop.  Income will also continue to drop.  High fat content.  Poor quality in all foods.

Completely New Lunch Program Pros:  Healthier food  More income  Different/Better options Cons:  More expensive for everyone.  Depending on the program, it could mean more prep work.  This would mean more help, leading to more money to pay salaries

Our Proposal The change in the lunch program is needed. The majority opinion in the school is that the food in the cafeteria is very low in quality. Although the school is on the National School Lunch program, other foods can be ordered by side companies that are more nutritious and overall higher in quality.

This chart shows the results of from the 37 randomly selected students chosen to partake in a survey on whether they would prefer better quality school lunches or a salad bar (an alternative idea we previously had). Results of Survey: Number of People for Better Quality Food: 27 Number of People for Salad Bar: 10 As you can clearly see the number of people for better quality food has a clear majority over people for a salad bar.

Disadvantages of this proposal -It will cost more money to buy the food for the schools. -It will cost more money for the students. -More staff may be needed

Advantages of this proposal -Students in the schools will more be likely buy school lunch. -The quality of the food, nutrition, and taste will be better. -Higher nutrition will result in healthier students that are more enthusiastic to learn. -Student will have more choices and more individualized lunches