ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The mechanics of buying school lunch haven't changed much over the years: Pick up a tray, move through the line, eat and get on with the day.
But this, of course, is a health-conscious age, struggling to end the scourge of poor nutrition, in which one child in three is overweight or obese and one in five is suffering from hunger. These days, the calculations that go in to cafeteria menus take aim at both problems, but some school food service directors reckon the system to be well-intentioned but overly complex.
It all stems from the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The legislation authorizes funding and sets policy for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's primary child nutrition programs. That includes the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, which provide cash subsidies and USDA foods for each meal served in participating schools.
The act mandated school menu changes aimed at making kids healthier. These have been introduced gradually since 2012, with whole grains, low-fat milk, fresh fruits and a wider variety of greens pushing sugary, salty and fatty items off the cafeteria tray.
The problem is, students have been pushing a lot of those healthy alternatives into the trash can, or opting out of school lunch altogether in favor of more palatable fare from home. Food costs have risen and meal participation has declined, so many school programs are struggling.
"If I have to write a letter to Mrs. Obama, I will," said Sue Bahnick, who oversees food service in the Northern Lehigh School District.
The first lady is the public face of the fight for better child nutrition. Bahnick doesn't object to the ends, of course. But she said the means not only result in waste and higher costs, but some downright puzzling combinations that somehow constitute a meal eligible for federal reimbursement.
As Exhibit A she offers a picture of a tray holding orange slices, broccoli and a container of low-fat milk. Hearty? No. Eligible? Yes, because the meal includes three of a mandatory five available offerings, including a fruit or vegetable.
The move to 100 percent whole grains has been another sticking point. Bahnick said whole grain items cost more and are less popular, with students turning their noses up at whole grain pasta, for instance.
The government has given some leeway to that rule — districts can apply for a waiver that would let them temporarily return to the old whole grain standard of 50 percent this year and next.
Bahnick pointed out the American Dietetic Association recommends whole grains constitute 50 percent of grain consumption. "If 50 percent is good enough for Americans, how come it isn't good enough for students?" she said.
Rolling back the requirement to 50 percent is one element of the Healthy School Meals Flexibility Act introduced last month by Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND.
The bill has the support of the School Nutrition Association, a trade group that has been urging changes in what it considers onerous and expensive government demands.
The association surveyed members in the 2013-14 school year and found 47 percent had noted a decrease in overall revenues and a la carte revenues. They cited higher food costs and decreased participation for both trends. Additionally, about half the respondents said they had seen more plate waste.