What does a Common NYC School Breakfast and Lunch Look Like?
A usual public school breakfast for New York City students may consist of milk, with options to choose from 1% low-fat milk, fat-free milk, and fat-free chocolate milk. A starch, like bagels, pancakes, whole wheat cereal, or a whole grain croissant. Then, rotating fruit, protein, or dairy options like canned fruit, seeds, and yogurt. Lunches follow a similar pattern of offering milk, a protein, a vegetable, grains, and fruit (NYC Public Schools). These breakfast and lunch options follow a daily schedule that varies every month, but complies with the nutrition and allergy requirements dictated by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and Office of Food and Nutrition Services (OFNS) (NYC Public Schools). In other words, many schools struggle with creating school meals that are more unique and better tailored to their students’ palates.
Student Opinion on School Foods
In 2022, No Kid Hungry set out to see what middle and high school students think about school and community meals. They collected responses from 1,000 teens across the U.S. from various socio-economic backgrounds, with 84% of participants reporting that they attend public school. 55% of teens described school meals as high-quality, and 64% of teens said that school meals taste good (No Kid Hungry). However, 84% of teens expressed a desire to improve school lunches and claimed that they would be more receptive to eating school meals if their school gathered student feedback on how to improve them. Around half of the participants agreed that their school had never asked for their input on school meals, and 95% of teens liked the idea of collaborating with staff and faculty on how to improve school meals.
So, when it comes to what students want, school foods are not always at the top of their lists, because of the lack of choice and participation they have in the process of designing school meals. Many New York students complain about the lack of diversity in food options, inconsistent portion controls, unappetizing presentations, and the limited options for students with dietary restrictions. Here are some quotes from students:
[School lunch] is really a last resort for me if I need to get through the day without having pain […] I only eat it when I’m really hungry.
Schools should ask students for recommendations, like a poll or survey on the DOE website,” said Compaore. They should cater to the students instead of just putting out what they think is best for them, and then having [students] not eat it.
Samira Compaore Midwood High School Class of ’26
It’s the same chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, and pizza. Every year they say they’re going to change it, but it really hasn’t changed much.
Ethan Henry Midwood High School Class of ’26
For breakfast, there’s no variety. It’s the exact same foods over and over and over again.
Karen Zevelev Midwood High School Class of ’27
I feel like some days I get enough food but the next day I get way less. All in All, I think free lunch with constient portions would be the solution to a lot of problems.
Jacob from New York Times
I know a lot of people who want to have school food, but because of certains food limitations they can’t.
secret secret from New York Times
