School lunch programs across the country are being smothered under mountains of debt, bureaucratic indifference and melted cheese product.

You may have wondered, as I have, why obesity is epidemic among school-aged children and adolescents. Part of the reason can be found in what happens after the midday school bell rings and kids pile into the cafeteria. They are hit with a one-two punch of reduced food quality and a developed taste for fast food that’s usually high-fat and high-sugar.

In the Chicago Public School System nachos are now served every day. Naturally, they are a favorite among students, but the schools also benefit because the cost is so low: $1 per meal, according to the Chicago Tribune.

In one high school, the Tribune says lunches typically consist of nachos, fries, canned fruit and chocolate milk. It’s not only that the meals are unhealthy, but they set the table for a lifetime of bad eating habits.

Of course, school lunches have always been somewhat marginal in terms of quality. Don’t expect Anthony Bourdain to do an episode of No Reservations focusing on school cafeterias. (Takes a forkful of mystery meat, chews, looks into the camera and says, “Oh yeah… This is what I’m talking about.”)

Historically, school lunches have been basic fare, but not appalling. One of the earliest school lunches, in Cleveland circa 1909, consisted of “bread and jam and a hot dish, such as beef stew, minced meat with potatoes, thick soup, or macaroni with tomato sauce. A few, on order from the medical inspector, get milk in the morning,” according to this report from the US Department of Agriculture.

But other countries do much better, investing in school lunches that actually look appetizing. (First check out the photo of the nachos and chocolate milk in the Tribune story, then peruse the pictures of foreign lunch trays from this interesting blog called whatsforschoollunch.)

The danger is that school lunches appear to be deteriorating. School budgets are being gutted at the same time free and reduced lunch participation is at an all-time high—20 million kids are being fed under the program.

On a Web site called School Lunch Talk (yes, there really is a Web site for everything), a recent post notes that principals tend to allow unhealthy foods because of the income it generates. In some New York City schools, kids are getting by on water and Gummi bears—candy and soda bring in revenue.

Public school critics often repeat the argument that you can’t solve the country’s education problems by throwing money at them. But my view is that this kind of basic student service should be an exception. At minimum, food and drinks sold at school shouldn’t be considered an income source.





