SCHOOL LUNCH: Healthier Not Necessarily Better

This year new school lunch regulations went into effect, which are designed to make students healthier.

However, many students told Channel 13, they are not very big fans of like the new lunches.

Grinnel Seventh grader Abigail Reding said, “the portion sizes are really small, and they’re not appetizing at all.. I get they’re trying to make it healthier.” She now brings her lunch from home.

It’s something many of her school mates are also starting to do.

They say the new lunch portion sizes are too small.

Under the 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act school lunches must include servings of fruits and vegetables for the lunch to qualify for a federal subsidy.

Some students, especially athletes, say the amount of calories is not enough to fulfill their needs.

Todd Abrahamson Newberg School District Superintendant says he understands student concerns, “I would probably agree with most parents and students on portion sizes and calorie intake, but as a school district, we have to follow those mandates.”

While the program seems to come from the right idea, if too many kids pass on school lunch, the Superintendent says it could jeopardize the future of the school lunch program at Grinnell all together.