School lunch gets a bad rap: It’s inedible. It’s unhealthy. But two Minnesota school districts with two very different budgets are making major menu changes they hope will not only change perceptions, but shift kids’ eating habits.
Hopkins School District, with 14 schools in the western suburbs, took a back-to-basics approach when a 2003 building bond allowed them to overhaul their facilities. That meant doing more from-scratch cooking, eliminating trans fats and high fructose corn syrup, and adding more whole grains and organic options. The revamped food service also took over the school’s vending machines when a Pepsi contract ran out, stocking them with water and healthful snacks – soda and candy bars are nowhere to be found.
Today, the gleaming cafeteria at Hopkins High School looks more like an upscale food court: the Health Nut Caf/ has premium deli meats, panini sandwiches on bread made by the Franklin Street Bakery in Minneapolis, and plenty of fresh veggie toppings. Another counter offers a daily ethnic dish, a salad bar with homemade soups consistently has a long line, and pizza made with fresh whole grain crusts is quickly snatched up. The district’s 2,000 high school students now buy 1,200 meals a day, up from 650. Sounds like they like it.
About 25 miles away, the St. Paul school district is also trying to improve quality, nutrition, and variety for the 30,000 kids it services, but in different circumstances. In St. Paul, 69 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch compared to just 20 percent in Hopkins, and the district spends $0.90 per lunch compared to Hopkins’ $1.25.
The high schools, under the district’s Nutrition Director, Jean Ronnei (see previous page), added Good to Go counters where students can choose salads and wraps. Ronnei surveyed students about their favorite restaurants and often handed out samples before adding new items to the menu. “Once word gets out among the kids about what tastes good, it’s easier to get them to eat new items,” she says.
Choice Bars, stocked with easy-to-grab items like jicama sticks, grape tomatoes, thawed peas, baby carrots, and wedged oranges, have increased fruit and vegetable consumption from 3.28 servings per child to 3.9. “It doesn’t sound like a lot,” says Ronnei, “but we’re pleased to see kids making better choices.”
Ronnei knows she has to offer not just healthier choices, but tastier ones, too. “Kids are judging our food against what they are getting out in the world. They have great palates, so we have a big responsibility.”
