Translate
How often do these teenage food critics take advantage of their school meal program? A majority (71 percent) said they are regular diners (at least 3 times per week), describing the school meals as vital to their diets. More than 50 percent said they eat the school meals every day. Even some of the sharpest critics said the school meals are what keeps them from going hungry:
“Every day, because I get hungry.”
— Brenda Espinoza, 15, Golden Valley High School, Merced
“Only about three times a week, and I only get them from the salad bar, because I don’t like getting them from the cafeteria because I know most of them are high in salt and oil, saturated fats.”
— Naomi Garzon, 17, Edison High School, Fresno
“Every day, because I kind of have to. It’s too much work to prepare lunch in the mornings.”
— Daniel Hernandez, 17, Olive Crest Academy, Coachella
“I eat every day, ‘cause I would starve when I get home.”
— Nancy Her, 16, Edison High School, Fresno
“Hardy ever, because I don’t like it.”
— Mia Robinson, 17, DeAnza High SChool, Richmond
“I’ll eat two times a week because it’s expensive to purchase $2.75 per lunch.”
— Isidro Gonzalez, 17, Arvin High School, South Kern County
“Only when they have hot dogs, because that’s the only thing I like.”
— Trinity Jackson, 18, DeAnza High School, Richmond
“When I was a junior or freshman I used to eat it every day a week but now I only eat it maybe 3 times a week. To me, it’s the same thing over and over again. It doesn’t even fill me anymore.”
— Abrhajaam Berruecos, 17, Wilson Classical High School, Long Beach
The varied responses are not surprising, given that some schools have the advantage of offering meals cooked from scratch in their own kitchens, and some districts have already invested several years in their healthy school meal programs, while others are only just now getting started.
Students who gave their school lunches the lowest grades (F’s and D’s) tended to come from two urban communities (Richmond and Long Beach), while students in the rural communities were far more likely to put a positive spin on the revamped school menus.
The jury is still out what the long-term impact of the new federal nutrition guidelines on school lunches will be on students. But as the aforementioned anecdotal survey of students in some of California’s poorest school districts show, teenagers — by far the pickiest eaters — not only rely on the meals to stave off hunger, but give the new school lunches passing grades, especially when they’re fresh and tasty.
