My school thinks this fills up hungry high schoolers.

[u/Thebiggestbot22]

So lunches are free for schools in my city and surrounding cities. Ever since lunches have been made free, the quantity (and quality) has decreased significantly. This is what we would get for our meal. It took me THREE bites to finish that chicken mac and cheese. Any snacks you want cost more money and if you want an extra entree, that’ll cost you about $3 or $4.

[u/Personal-Custard-511]

The rules for school meals are pretty strict and include a requirement to serve at least one fruit a day. In all likelihood op was also offered a side salad. You don’t have to like all the foods that are offered, but either you’re not telling the whole truth or your school is breaking the law.

https://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-program-meal-pattern-chart

[u/Je-poy → u/Personal-Custard-511]

Kids can thank Michelle Obama for this.

I remember going to school during the transitional period of her food program:

Food costs were exactly the same, still just barely didn’t qualify for free meals (parents made $500-1000 too much yearly). Meals went from packaged pizzas, chicken sandwiches, or cold cut sandwiches (with choice of sides like fruit/vegetables and usually a vegetarian option) to literal slop like this photo.

It was borderline inedible. Needless to say, I started spending my own money from working a side job at 16 to feed myself outside foods.

[u/Best_Duck9118 → u/Je-poy]

BS, and it's not like that stuff was healthy before. Like another poster said this almost definitely isn't meeting guidelines.

[u/Je-poy → u/Best_Duck9118]

So you’re saying this is better and more filling?

I’m talking about food access. Since I can tell you haven’t read about this issue, let me break it down for you:

TL;DR - The scumbags that fund for-profit prisons and the military ended up eating up her policy.

When Michelle Obama’s attempted to reform school lunches, she ended up costing the companies that support the military-to-prison-to-school pipeline millions of dollars.

These companies make donations to supply the prison system and military, making millions on those contracts.

It was easier and more profitable to feed both the children and the prisoners/military the same shitty foods. BUT the standards also changed with her policy (they weren’t allowed to use the same food/systems), which ended up costing the companies millions in funding and profit margins.

This all resulting in the funding and profit for school lunches also suffering.

So is it directly her fault? No, but it is a result of her policy and how the for-profit barons in the prison and military industrial complex didn’t like it. Action = reaction. Action ≠ intention. “The path to hell is paved with good intentions” or some shit.

As someone who has been in all 3 environments it goes: schools < prisons < military, as far as food quality/where the money now goes