TheApple

No, but the principal in our building has been fighting this battle for many years. We do have salad bar as an option every day. Once a week we have homemade soup, and there is a big "farm to school" initiative happening. We've been getting lots of local produce: apples, potatoes, even asparagus. Our school is splitting in half next year and we're moving into a new building. As a staff and community, we're hoping to use this opportunity to make more changes.

The squeaky wheel gets things done. If enough teachers and parents really care about the lack of quality and healthy options the cafeteria offers, the more likely it is to change. Even within the same supply companies, there are healthy options that schools can go for.

In the Nyack, NY school district, where I live, the PTA council, made up of the PTA leaders from the five schools in the district, started a campaign to improve the school lunches. Parents and teachers rallied around the cause and they were able to get thr district to change the company that ran foodservice in the schools and have nutrition standards written into their contract.

Things went very well for two years before they started to revert to how they had been before. But before there was too much slippage, the parents complained again and a new director of foodservice was hired, menus were improved and quality went up. So did prices, but not so much that it hurt.

Organize, have specific suggestions/demands, make noise, be persistent.