Oxnard Union High School District in Oxnard, Calif., is ending its meatless Mondays initiative due to cost and a lack of participation, the Camarillo Acorn reports.
Meatless Monday, which was offered on Fridays during the most recent school year, was the least popular lunch day during the week, according to school officials. The district hopes that the menu change will encourage more students to purchase school meals and help eliminate the $2 million deficit in its nutrition budget.
While 61% of students in the district qualify for free meals, only around half eat at the cafeteria daily. Students eligible for reduced-price meals also don’t frequent the cafeteria often, with only 30% grabbing a school meal daily.
In addition, the district’s school board approved the removal of the school’s salad bars due to their waning popularity. Only around 10% of students grabbed a meal from the salad bars, which required two employees to set up.
Officials say those two employees will be moved to the checkout stands to speed up line times, and that bagged salads will still be available.
Read the full story via thecamarilloacorn.com.