School Lunches Research Paper

Words: 512
Pages: 3

Across the United States, about 29.9 million school lunches are served to students daily. Many students rely on these lunches to make it through the day, and they aren’t even providing children with proper nutrition. The school lunch system should improve students’ lunches for numerous reasons. A school lunch isn’t good for you, it meets poor quality standards, it lacks variety, and students often complain about the taste and appearance. Improving school lunches can have a big impact on the health, attention span, and happiness of students throughout the day. Firstly, school lunches have low quality standards. According to a USA Today investigation, “In the past three years, the government has provided the nation's schools with millions of pounds of beef and …show more content…
Secondly, the variety of lunches should be improved. Many schools don’t provide options for students with dietary restrictions, including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, and more. As well, there are certain foods that students may not want to eat. A survey sent to 20 6th-grade Central Middle School students revealed that 65% said there should be a wider variety of lunches. It would encourage students to eat these meals if they had more options and something for everyone. The last way school lunches must be improved is in looks and taste. In a survey, 88.2% of students said school lunches should taste better, and 88.2% also said they should look more appealing. Furthermore, improving the taste and appearance of foods will attract more customers and make students happier. A World Wildlife Fund study found that school cafeterias produce about 530,000 tons of food waste annually when students dislike how their food looks or tastes. They often throw it away, contributing to the rising food waste problem. Others may say school lunches are healthy because they include fresh fruits and