LAUSD Enlists Parents In Effort To Get Students Eating Healthier Menu
PORTER RANCH (CBS) — Los Angeles Unified School District officials are enlisting the help of parents in an effort to get students to eat the new, healthier school lunches now being served on campuses.
The district is in its first year of serving a newly revamped, healthier menu with less fat, fewer fried foods and more nutrition. The items have not been popular with students, however.
Laura Adler, a volunteer at Castle Bay Elementary School, grimaced before saying ,"I really don't care for it." And neither do the children, she says, adding that she sees a lot of them throwing the food away.
The menu items include somewhat exotic fare to kids, like quinoa salad, spicy wings, Japanese soba noodles and hummus with pita bread.
"Well, it is interesting…." 3rd grader Juliana Moore said. "Interesting food which my mom would probably have me eat."
Despite the less-than-enthusiastic reception, David Binkle, the head of the district's food services, is going from campus to campus, inviting parents to bring their kids to taste the new menu items.
"I appreciate the variety of the meals, however it seems to me that they haven't been eating the meals as readily as they had in years past," parent Leslie Eng said.
The district plans to continue its efforts to serve healthier fare at schools.
"We're not going back," Binkle said. "We're going to stay the course."
