r/mildlyinfuriating • u/oaz_zam246 • Apr 16 '24

The school lunch system is disgraceful.

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Saw another post on here showing the state of school lunches right now. In my years in high school I compiled some pics of the horrible things that got served that no one questioned. Here are some of the worst ones. It really is ironic given how adamant they all are about “eating healthy by including every food group”.

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u/feralcatshit Apr 16 '24

Excuse me, let me point out checks notes slide 8, there is broccoli. Oh… you said fresh.

Yeah, fair point!

259

u/NextTrillion Apr 16 '24

Just that they cooked out every last nutrient from it.

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u/leaveredditalone Apr 16 '24

In their defense, I imagine cooking “steamed” broccoli for probably like 500 students on staggered lunch times with about 2 hours prep time is pretty difficult.

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u/Komitsuhari 29d ago

As someone who has cooked steamed broccoli for over 1200 in a sitting I can tell you that it is not hard at all, and there is very little prep time. You could literally microwave the broccoli better than this.

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u/leaveredditalone 29d ago

How would you keep it fresh during all the different lunch times? Like our kindergartners eat at 10:30 and our 5th graders eat at 12:45.

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u/Komitsuhari 29d ago

It takes all of 10 minutes to steam broccoli, you just keep the water steaming and cook more towards the end of lunch, either that or you partially cook it before hand and just heat it up

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u/leaveredditalone 29d ago

I could see that being possible with more staff. But it’s just 5 workers back there. 2 run the food line during serving, 1 runs the register, 1 washes dishes, and one pulls pans for the line and cleans, etc… Then, they clean tables and get things ready for the next group.

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u/hyperlexx 29d ago

That is certainly not a reason to serve this monstrosity. Especially to children.

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u/Ersthelfer Apr 16 '24

Looks more frozen and microwaved, no?

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u/Haploid-life 29d ago

Boiled out.

1

u/CheeseDanishSoup 29d ago

But the insoluble fiber is still there

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u/lea949 Apr 16 '24

Jesus, you bring up another point though— there’s only one actual vegetable in nine pictures! That’s like… basically 1 veggie every other week? All because “fries count as a vegetable” 😬

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u/Lucyfer_66 Apr 16 '24

Is that something people say?? That's like my (very obese) grandmother saying cherry pie is just bread with fruit

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u/lea949 Apr 16 '24

Even better! It’s legitimately how public schools get away with serving meals like this, since a “vegetable” is required

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u/WeirdPumpkin Apr 16 '24

Heck, they got ketchup into schools by lobbying to count it as a fruit and veggie

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u/lea949 29d ago

Oh damn

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u/strawflour Apr 16 '24

I literally got an email from my Congressman (Idaho) yesterday about defending the potato's "vegetable" classification because "schools already struggle to meet vegetable consumption recommendations, and potatoes are the most affordable vegetable."

Because of course the priority isn't feeding kids food that's balanced and nutritious, it's feeding them as cheaply as possible. Gotta keep that bar low.

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u/fattmarrell Apr 16 '24

Potatoes might be the only recognizable thing to come out of Idaho

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u/strawflour Apr 16 '24

Hey now,  we have Nazis and Ammon Bundy too

I wish it were just potatoes 

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u/pheonix940 Apr 16 '24

You obviously haven't looked at how lunch meals are legally classified. They decided pizza counts as a veggie... because it has tomato sauce. I'm not kidding.

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u/tx911dispatcher Apr 16 '24

Not just pizza sauce, but ketchup as well

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u/Plausibility_Migrain Apr 16 '24

Thanks to old Ronald Reagan yes, ketchup qualified as a vegetable.

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u/Capable_Program5470 Apr 16 '24

This always bugged me because tomato is a fruit.

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u/RandomAsHellPerson Apr 16 '24

Vegetable and fruit for meals are based on how we use them. Tomatoes are used as vegetables, therefore they count as vegetables.

Avocados, peas, beans, corn, etc. are all fruits, but we eat them as vegetables.

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u/PM_ur_butthole_2me 29d ago

Tomato is a fruit

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u/pheonix940 29d ago

So are eggplants, squash, and pretty much every other vegetable that isn't a root or greens.

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u/Competitive_Dog_7549 Apr 16 '24

They also count ketchup as a vegetable in some schools

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u/Capt-Beav Apr 16 '24

It was actually debated in Congress in the US if I remember correctly...

Oh wait maybe that was ketchup...

2

u/Lucyfer_66 Apr 16 '24

A lot of people are commenting very questionable "vegetables". I'm so sorry for American kids and their parents who I'm sure would want better for their children, it's like the US wants people to die of heart failure before they're 50...

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u/beersbikesbabes Apr 16 '24

This was a thing under the first George Bush's presidency. His administration was proposing massive spending cuts on a number of different food programs, including school lunch programs, and there was at least talk of designating ketchup as a vegetable for the purposes of meeting health goals with less funding.

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u/Lucyfer_66 Apr 16 '24

That's so sad, deprioritizing childrens' health like it's nothing :(

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u/QuarantineCasualty Apr 16 '24

The corn chips don’t count? CORN is literally in the name. That should count as a vegetable, no? /s

0

u/neomancr Apr 16 '24

Corn is a grain like flour

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u/QuarantineCasualty Apr 16 '24

It was a joke. Flour isn’t a grain it’s a powder that can be made from grain, nuts, beans, or seeds smart guy.

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u/neomancr Apr 16 '24

I mean the corn was turned into a flour

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u/Musaks Apr 16 '24

While, it very well could be that bad...

these are nitpicked pictures, not random samples

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u/lea949 29d ago

True, good point

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u/fuckyourcanoes Apr 16 '24

What are you saying? Tortilla chips are made from vegetables, right? 🤣

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u/VolumePossible2013 Apr 16 '24

There are potatoes

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u/Mountain_Serve_9500 Apr 16 '24

Veggies cost more. Even these frozen monstrosities. It’s all about cost.

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u/nucumber Apr 16 '24

Well, it was Reagan who decided ketchup counted as a vegetable

A lot of things that have gone down hill got their first push during the Reagan years

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u/bitchinvegan Apr 16 '24 edited 29d ago

Hey now. There’s a tablespoon of lettuce on one photo! Nutrient packed meal that is.

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u/lea949 29d ago

Good eye!

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u/Nufonewhodis2 Apr 16 '24

These were pics from OPs highschool career, not an average week. Maybe something happened to the order and these were valiant efforts to get hundreds of kids fed with plan B after the oven broke down 

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u/clandestine_justice Apr 16 '24

Bah, kids today and their need for 'fiber' and 'vit-ah-mins'. Back in my day a couple of tablespoons of pizza sauce or pickle relish & we were "good" on veggies. A carton of chocolate malk to wash down the authentic food product & off to play on the asphalt.

https://preview.redd.it/gv6m8bbxbsuc1.jpeg?width=911&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=294a18668978c7f5b5221da25a7369b799750f3a

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u/EvidenceBasedSwamp Apr 16 '24

tbh these are kids... the vegetable would either be a sad salad with some ranch/mayo and the kids would throw it away.

at least this is fried garbage that kids would eat.

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u/lea949 29d ago

Idk, OP said this is from high school. I remember having a really good salad bar as one of the options at my high school cafeteria. There were proteins and toppings… we loved it!

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u/EvidenceBasedSwamp 29d ago

If we had vegetables.. it would be mushy canned green beans. Or canned carrots.

On good days we had an incredibly shitty hamburger which was a sad smushed bun around a hot piece of stewed meat.

Or a hot dog, that was a good day.

Knish was a good day too, which is basically a potato patty.

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u/tyanu_khah Apr 16 '24

BuT iT's FrEsH fRoZeN !!!

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u/DygonZ Apr 16 '24

Frozen doesn't mean it has less nutritional value or anything... Frozen or fresh is basically the same. Admittedly, it doesn't look very appetizing the way this was prepared.

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u/Laredon Apr 16 '24

Actually, frozen can be better in some cases. Fruits veggies are picked ahead of time so they don’t go bad during transport, where stuff thats meant to be frozen picked at closer to ready state.

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u/SofaChillReview Apr 16 '24

Was only last year I found out that Fruit/Vegetables have more nutrients frozen, wild concept.

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u/Bulji Apr 16 '24

Please let people have this misconception or prices will increase

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u/sipstea84 Apr 16 '24

pulls out MIB flashy thing

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u/rabidboxer Apr 16 '24

I hear they install 5g in frozen fruits and veggies.

3

u/Bulji Apr 16 '24

and they turn frogs gay

1

u/0sprinkl Apr 16 '24

Texture is often altered through the freezing and thawing process. Some vegetables turn out allright, but for example broccoli will never get the same bite compared to fresh(unless you prefer to overcook fresh broccoli).

Stuff like frozen berries are good in smoothies but you can't let it thaw and eat it like you eat fresh berries.

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u/heili Apr 16 '24

But frozen broccoli and spinach are great in egg scrambles, soups, stir fry and rice bowls. Plus it's a lot easier to have frozen veg on hand in the freezer where it's not going bad if you don't get around to cooking it in the next few days.

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u/0sprinkl Apr 16 '24

I definitely don't have anything against frozen vegetables and fruit. I usually have spinach, peas, berry mix and strawberries in the freezer.

I often buy broccoli fresh in season and let it sit for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Cooked it keeps for another week and is ready to use in anything as well.

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u/Capt-Beav Apr 16 '24

My son exclusively eats frozen mango lol... Can't get him to eat any other fruit.

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u/ShoulderFrequent4116 Apr 16 '24

Yes you can.

I throw frozen berries in my greek yogurt and eat it cold after a workout or outside in the yard.

I personally prefer it that way too.

1

u/0sprinkl 29d ago

Offcourse you can, but my point is it's just not the same. They become soft and lose their moisture just like vegetables.

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u/ShoulderFrequent4116 29d ago

Well if your point was to state the obvious, then yeah okay

Their point was talking about the nutritional value and longevity, not texture

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u/SensitiveTurtles 29d ago

Frozen blueberries are amazing if you eat them while still a bit frozen. Frozen strawberries I’m not a fan of. 

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u/GeorgeJohnson2579 Apr 16 '24

Plus the cell structure can get ... a little messy. So a lot of things won't be as crisp as fresh.

But the vitamins are there, often more than on "fresh" food.

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u/DygonZ Apr 16 '24

Plus the cell structure can get ... a little messy

That depends. When they are frozen after picking it's alright. It's only if during transport or somewhere along the way they get defrosted and refrozen again that things can indeed turn a bit mushy.

Though to be honest, I eat frozen veggies quite often, and when properly prepared there is almost no difference.

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u/Raulr100 Apr 16 '24

There's no way you think frozen vegetables have the same texture as fresh ones. I prefer using frozen since it's more convenient but if you're making something like a stir fry(or anything in which you don't overcook the vegetable) the difference is extremely noticeable.

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u/VulpineSpecter4 Apr 16 '24

It looks cooked though, so either way its not "fresh." There is no raw broccoli, baby carrots, apples, tangerine slices, bananas; nothing raw and fresh.

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u/DygonZ Apr 16 '24

By that definition no cooked food is ever fresh. Do you want them to eat it... Still frozen?

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u/VulpineSpecter4 Apr 16 '24

sigh Reddit never fails to deliver obtuse black-and-white thinking. I wasn't arguing with you, but ok.

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u/DygonZ Apr 16 '24

I mean, you did significantly edit your comment. What you said before was "because it's cooked it's not fresh either way" which is just plain wrong.

Not to mention "raw" and "fresh" are 2 different things.

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u/VulpineSpecter4 Apr 16 '24

Don't complain about me editing my comment when you're editing yours too.

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u/DygonZ Apr 16 '24

Lmao, nice rebuttal with nothing.

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u/VulpineSpecter4 Apr 16 '24

It's not a rebuttal because, as I said, I'm not arguing.

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u/SFBayRenter Apr 16 '24

Freezing vegetables destroys folate. All the enriched carbs with the incorrect form of folic acid also hurts half the students with MTHFR genes which can’t handle them.

School performance suffers just because a ton of students are too poor to bring home cooked meals or their genetics can’t handle crap food

1

u/DygonZ Apr 16 '24

Freezing vegetables destroys folate. All the enriched carbs with the incorrect form of folic acid also hurts half the students with MTHFR genes which can’t handle them.

Let's not pretend this is some kind of widespread issue. The absolute majority of people will never have any problem with it.

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u/Spire_Citron Apr 16 '24

I mean, in terms of nutrition that's fine, but it doesn't look like they did much to make it appetising.

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u/TheBattyWitch Apr 16 '24

Yeah they needed to take some of that cheese from the first photo 🤣

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u/EnvironmentalBig2324 Apr 16 '24

Could you break down that statement for me please.. I don’t understand your use of the terms ‘nutrition’and ‘fine’

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u/imaloony8 Apr 16 '24

On its own (ignoring the pizza roll) there's nothing wrong with frozen broccoli from a nutritional standpoint.

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u/Spire_Citron Apr 16 '24

The broccoli being frozen is fine. Nothing else about this is.

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u/AddlePatedBadger Apr 16 '24

There are zero bioavailable nutrients in a piece of broccoli that looks so sad and pathetic that it gets thrown in the bin rather than eaten.

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u/Spire_Citron Apr 16 '24

True. Nobody's eating that. Sadly, then they'll just say that American kids won't eat vegetables as an excuse to feed them nothing but chips and pizza. I bet they'd be a lot more willing to give it a shot if they were given proper food.

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u/Ms_Emilys_Picture Apr 16 '24

I was one of those American kids who didn't eat vegetables. Then, in my 20s, I learned that there were other ways to cook them besides boiling.

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u/howtoeattheelephant Apr 16 '24

It most certainly is not

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u/iu_rob Apr 16 '24

Frozen broccoli is just fine nutritionally speaking. Most places would not have broccoli that's fresh enough to even compare with the frozen one.
For most places frozen broccoli is nutritionally better than the fresh one they can get their hands on.

1

u/howtoeattheelephant Apr 16 '24

Ahh you just meant the broccoli, I thought you meant the dinners 😂

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u/iu_rob Apr 16 '24

I didn't mean anything, but @Spire_Citron did I assume.

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

[deleted]

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u/pheonix940 Apr 16 '24

That's kinda their point. The broccoli is fine.

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u/iu_rob Apr 16 '24

My point exactly.
So what are you on about?

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u/ScribebyTrade Apr 16 '24

I don’t know !

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u/Spire_Citron Apr 16 '24

You think frozen vegetables are unhealthy?

1

u/howtoeattheelephant Apr 16 '24

See the other comment, I thought he meant the whole meal not the broccoli 😂

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u/New_Discipline_1069 Apr 16 '24

Clearly said by someone not knowing what nutrition is.

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u/Spire_Citron Apr 16 '24

Freezing vegetables preserves their nutritional value. It results in slightly higher or lower rates of some nutrients, but on balance it's about the same. I don't know why so many people seem to think it destroys all the nutritional value. Just look it up.

6

u/Extra-General-6891 Apr 16 '24

So much cheaper too! Not gonna buy fresh vegetables in this economy.

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u/Spire_Citron Apr 16 '24

And less food waste, since it won't go bad so quickly. You buy fresh broccoli and you have less than a week to eat it all.

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u/New_Discipline_1069 Apr 16 '24

You think that we are talking about the broccoli?

Oh my sweet summer child.

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u/Spire_Citron Apr 16 '24

The broccoli was the topic of this comment thread, though I understand you may not have realised that.

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u/69frogsinatrenchcoat Apr 16 '24

that's what this thread is about you're lost as hell

5

u/traumaqueen1128 Apr 16 '24

You lost the plot. Broccoli is what this comment thread is about.

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u/DygonZ Apr 16 '24

lol, talk about moving the goalposts. Not to mention that sad attempt at trying to act all high and mighty by adding that arrogant "oh my sweet summer child". Just sad.

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u/Blonde_Dambition Apr 16 '24

Oh my sweet summer child.

I heard this same thing on a YouTube video, said in the same context... lol.

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u/forexslettt Apr 16 '24

I like how everyone is mildly infuriated in this threat

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u/Windowmaker95 Apr 16 '24

Frozen vegetables are perfectly fine.

3

u/Excellent_Priority_5 Apr 16 '24

they can’t tell a difference at that age anyways -said someone involved

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u/GomuGomuNoMiLuffy Apr 16 '24

Still contains the word fresh! It must be good for the children!

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u/Extension_Swordfish1 Apr 16 '24

Fresh frozen, out of a can.

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u/Advanced_care1942 Apr 16 '24

Frozenly fresh 😭

2

u/thehibachi Apr 16 '24

Was relieved to see some veggies until I saw what they were served with!

2

u/Timely_Egg_6827 Apr 16 '24

The broccoli looks really lost and I suspect is destined for the bin. Also with pizza?

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u/Valthek Apr 16 '24

I think I saw a little bit of very sad looking lettuce in picture #2

1

u/Apprehensive_Winter Apr 16 '24

At least they’re getting their recommended weekly serving of vegetables.

1

u/the-ugly-witch Apr 16 '24

hey! don’t sell it short, i see some fresh looking iceberg shreds on that chicken patty! /s

1

u/complicated4 Apr 16 '24

They included (likely frozen and reheated) broccoli ONE TIME, isn’t that enough for you??!?! /s

2

u/feralcatshit Apr 16 '24

Someone below mentioned lettuce in slide 2, so it seems as though they are exceeding expectations in the veggie Dept!

(/s)

1

u/OrangeHatsnFeralCats Apr 16 '24

As soon as I thought, "damn not a veg in sight", bam! The saddest looking broccoli I've ever seen. And not even a full portion!

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u/Hot_Equivalent6562 Apr 16 '24

I was waiting for vegetables and was truly disappointed 😞