Are NYC Public School Lunches Feeding a Health Crisis?

The city’s 900,000 public school kids deserve better

Wellness in the Schools’ Executive Chef Bill Telepan in a public school lunchroom that serves the “alternative menu,” which contains more from-scratch cooking and less highly processed food. It is only available if a principal requests it. All photos: Wellness In The Schools.

I’m a writer who has covered the business of food for the past 20 years; naturally, when my older child started public school five years ago, I was curious about what schools were feeding kids and decided to volunteer in the lunchroom. There, I found a menu of popcorn chicken, mozzarella sticks, pizza, burgers, and Tostitos taco bowls filled with ground beef.

I was disheartened. I had seen excellent school food in places like Berkeley and Boulder. But New York City — which has led the way in minimum wage reform, paid family and sick leave, and pre-K for all — has fallen behind, and our kids are paying the price.

Nearly half of New York City elementary school children and Head Start children are at an unhealthy weight. And across the U.S., children as young as 8 years old are on cholesterol or blood pressure medication.

To make matters worse, President Donald Trump has rolled back nutrition protections of Michelle Obama’s landmark Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. In addition to bringing more chocolate milk to the lunch line, efforts to limit sodium have been delayed or partially eliminated.