Against the backdrop of inflation and rising prices, school canteens in the United States have become more difficult to find food suppliers, reports NBC. As a result there is less choice for school children and portions of some items have reduced in size, the story says.
School dinners. We all remember them. But today, some kitchens look more like this one at Churchill High School in San Antonio, Texas. But because of rising inflation and critical staffing shortages this school year, among other things, we may have to say goodbye to those fresh fruit and vegetables.
It has become more difficult to find everything. School nutrition director Sharon Glosson says that when they do manage to find something, the products are often more expensive. What’s more, they may not have the staff to serve that food.
As one study showed, school lunches are often the healthiest food that schoolchildren eat all day. But as canteens across the country are feeling the rise in food costs, some school districts are switching from fresh products to frozen and processed foods.
With the repeal of the federally mandated provision that allowed all school children to receive free lunch during the pandemic, and all the changes in the menu, parents are thinking about the same thing Genevieve Sagalski is worried about: that her two school children will take their lunches with them this year.
There’s an unprecedented food fight ahead, with no end in sight. Priscilla Thompson. NBC News. San Antonio.