October 15, 1999
By Connie Hom
San Diego City Schools Food Services
Students, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles headed to Encanto and Rowan elementary schools to sample the latest that school food service has to offer as part of the "Take Your Family to Lunch Day."
Scheduled during the 36th annual
National School Lunch Week, "Take Your Family to Lunch Day"
was created by the American School Food Service Association to
demonstrate to American that school meals are nutritious, healthy
and tasty. Nationwide more than 26.7 million children are served
lunch every school day, totaling over 4.8 billion lunches per
year.
San Diego City School currently serves over 110,000 nutritious breakfast and lunches each day.
"School meal programs have always been a great value for students in terms of the overall cost and the nutrition they provide," says San Diego City School Food Services Director (Acting), Sue Gilroy. "We also like to make eating healthy and fun. The goal of the school meal program is to provide students with nutritious foods that will enhance learning. We're really feeding their bodies and their minds."
A recent survey of food service directors conducted by the American School Food Service Association showed that students pay an average of $1.48 for school lunch and just 81 cents for breakfast. San Diego City School elementary school children pay only $1.00 for a lunch meal and 50 cents for breakfast. In comparison, lunch at popular fast-food restaurants is much more expensive and most lack fruits or vegetables, and don't include dessert.
Family members that attended "Take
Your Family to Lunch Day" had the opportunity to sample some
of the foods typically served in the cafeteria. Schools participating
in this program chose a special day to invite their families during
National School Lunch Week, October 11-15.
The lunch menu for the day at Encanto Elementary School included: Turkey Ham Sandwich on a Whole Wheat Bun, Pasta Salad, Orange Wedges and Milk. Rowan Elementary School families lunched on Chicken Nuggets, Caesar Salad, Yellow Cake with Strawberry Sauce and Milk. In addition to sampling a typical school lunch, parents and other family members had the opportunity to talk with school food service professionals about their children's lunch programs and nutritional needs.
Today's school lunch is designed
to meet stringent national nutritional standards. These nutritional
guidelines require that school lunches and breakfasts provide
one-third to one-fourth of the Recommended Dietary Allowances,
respectively, for calories, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and
calcium.
San Diego City School Food Services is committed to providing high-quality, low-cost meals to students and welcome your questions or concerns. Contact San Diego City Schools Food Services Planning Supervisor, Sally Spero at (619) 627-7306.
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