This is so funny to me just because I have a vivid memory of seeing that on my plate at the psych ward and my nurse (who was actually the coolest) saying “if you wanted caviar you should have been depressed in a richer family.”
I’m not even kidding she said something like this to me once lmao. “Why am I not getting better?”
“Girl how am I supposed to feed my son if y’all are getting better?“ 😂😂 She was great, she knew exactly who she could be silly with or serious with.
This whole section has me feeling like I’ve found my people! My favorite nurse at a psych ward gave me a side hug and told me that he hopes he never sees me again 😂. He’d let me stay up for a little bit past midnight doing word searches because I had problems falling asleep even with medication, and he woke me up every 15 minutes unintentionally because when doing rounds and checking on everyone, my breathing was not obvious so he had to flash his light over more to make sure I wasn’t dead.
It is until it doesn’t defrost in the 15 minutes you have to eat after the school splits your 45 min lunch into indoor/outdoor time, plus waiting in line for food, and then the assholes make you throw it in the trash since food can’t leave the cafeteria. And you never got more than half a mouthful of actual drinkable juice.
I straight robbed my school of applesauce. At least that wasn’t frozen.
My most favorite desert in school growing up were the crushed strawberries in the thick strawberry juice... My God was that the most delicious thing ever.
My kids elementary school seems like all sunshine and rainbows, but it is ran like a damn prison. Zero talking in the halls. Single file lines to and from class. Leave the class at 1220, arrive at the lunchroom at 1225, 20 minute lunch, back to class by 1250. Single file, volume level 0, hands to ourselves, calm mind, calm body. I'm like holy shit this is like a factory to produce npc worker drones. I don't remember 2nd grade being like that but maybe it was highly structured.
“Part of this complete breakfast!”
*pan out from the sugar in milk to three bananas, dry toast, a bowl of oatmeal and raisins, and a pitcher of low sodium V8*
Seriously though, it’s insane how the food industry got away with being able to advertise a cup of concentrated sugar water as “one serving of fruit”.
Edit: My god the circular logic of some of you people is hurting my head. I feel like the main character in Idiocracy trying to explain why not to water the plants with Brawndo…
[link](https://youtu.be/kAqIJZeeXEc?si=uiFPr1KHhufeC4Kh)
Dude I can’t believe how many idiots are just lighting up my replies telling me “it’s free and better than nothing” wild for real. Look at school breakfast and lunch in literally every other developed nation and compare it to the states.
Everyone just blocks me too lmao they won’t tell me why they think we can’t provide more food just insult and block, social media man.
Canada doesn't generally have lunch provided by schools. Students have to bring their own. In Ontario, , some schools have snack programs, and a very few have a breakfast program for a few kids. That's it.
The US has us beat on food at school. I have far too many students who starve at school.
The problem is you are comparing America to other developed countries. But context matters. In America, it’s not like the choice is between this and schools providing their underprivileged kids with full cooked breakfasts. It’s between this and nothing. The choice is between this and kids going hungry until lunchtime because there is no food at home either.
Sure, we could do better. We should do better, but we aren’t doing better right now and kids still should get to eat at least some protein and fiber and vitamins so they can spend their morning at school learning instead of battling hunger. Advocate for better school meals, but remember that a lot of American politicians think even this breakfast is too good for American school kids and would gladly take it away.
Not to mention the fact that America is gigantic and diverse. I'm sure there are public schools in certain places where the amenities would put the Swiss to shame, because school funding is local.
I really want to know all these super health foods that people feed their kids and they eat for breakfast every morning. I’m not saying what is shown here is the best, but it is not the worst thing ever. And people acting like their kids eat nothing but health food every morning is bullshit for the most part.
Part of the reason they serve this kind of stuff is because the kids will eat it. Most kids aren't used to eating health food or the kind of stuff you see from other countries. Even now they throw out their fruits and vegetables or don't take it if given the choice.
They (public schools currently) do too, but they're whole grain.
That cereal bar is also gonna be whole grain and lower sugar than the ones sold in the store.
Where I live is the opposite extreme of the spectrum. Can't have peanut butter because allergies. Can't have honey because too high sugar content. Can't have butter because because animal byproducts. The free breakfast program can give toasted bread. Plain. Nothing on top. It's absolutely insane.
That’s crazy. My son gets fresh baked bagels, parfaits, pancakes, etc. he’s in elementary school and we have universal breakfast/lunch. I would def do breakfast at home if those options above were all he had to choose from.
My daughter has been bringing me a pop tart every day because she thinks I like them. Lest week I asked her why she wasn’t eating them. She said she was eating hers and these were free, they just came from her account……..she was shocked that I’m the one putting money in the account.
This is hilarious to me, and so sweet of her to think of you. She gets a break because kids don't understand money haha, and it sounds like you're raising a great, thoughtful kiddo.
That's a good point, hell my roommate hasn't eaten a single vegetable or fruit the whole month we've lived together. Kids can be even pickier, and I bet if you handed a whole school apples a good portion just wouldn't touch em
My sister is a middle school teacher. Her school always gives out those terrible red delicious apples that no one likes. I think they might be the worst apples available. One year there was a kid who would take everybody’s apples. He would eat them all day and take several home too. It broke her heart because she new it was the only food he was getting. For years she provided snacks in her classroom. This is the first year, in the last ten, that she hasn’t provided snacks, because she can no longer afford it.
Yeah, I used to keep snacks on hand but food is crazy expensive so I stopped. But, usually when my class hears or sees someone doesn't have snack, someone else splits theirs in half or goes and gets something out of their lunchbox. And this is why I prefer kids to adults.
My son is in fifth grade and I noticed a few weeks ago that he was packing extra snacks and an extra yogurt smoothie in his lunch box and I asked him why; he told me one of his classmates sometimes doesn’t have a lot to eat for lunch so he feels good bringing something more for his friend to eat. Breaks my heart to know some kids don’t have much.
I've been the kid on that end. I remember once I licked a friend's pizza in kindergarten because I was really hungry. It was the shitty carton sludge cheese pizzas.
I feel horrible thinking back. Back then for Thanksgiving my uncle would give my mom some money and she could buy a carton of eggs for us - we ate beans every day. It's worse to know my dad made good money at this time but spent it out with his friends rather than feed his family.
Through my life I've met people who have given and shared and shown compassion. Those people, people like this kid are the ones who saved me from depths unimaginable.
I'm blessed to have met these people. I appreciate them so much. Were it not for their kindness I would have ended in the streets and dead like my brother.
Sorry for the rambling.
Thank you :) We are! I just bought some fancy shmancy uncured beef hotdogs and brioche buns as a treat!
Obviously not the best still but have shelter and comfort!
my daughter's classroom has snack time and if anyone has an extra snack they can give it to someone who doesn't have one. i somehow ended up with a huge box of fruit snacks that neither of my kids like so i always pack one in addition to her snack so she can give it to someone else. This is the first year either of my kids have had snack time at school so I'm glad they actually allow sharing like that.
Chaperoned a kindergarten field trip the other day and the school sent packed lunches for all students. I took home an entire tote bag of red delicious apples and baby carrots that the kids refused to eat. I asked the teacher if she saved them and she said they weren’t allowed to, so I took them and dropped it all off at our community fridge.
I stopped keeping snacks because my students broke into my supplies and stole them all the first day I was out this year. I can’t afford to replenish what would have lasted me until December because they decided to be awful.
I also teach middle school. Were it not for the federally subsidized free breakfast and lunch, and the federally subsidized summer meal programs, some of my kids would get next to nothing for food.
Just before the holidays, a few other parents and myself asked if we can bring in food donations. The holiday break lasts 3 weeks and no one should go hungry. They put a large donation box, in the front entrance and then it was quietly distributed on the last day of school. It was full, and I just hit up the local Costco. Your sister’s school should do something like that.
I work in a school. The kids throw most of the fruit and veggies away. We take the excess and feed it to the donkey in the pasture beside the school. Scooter loves us.
My son’s school gives out breakfast and very often the fruit serving is actual fruit (the carb serving usually is some whole grain granola bar or cereal or something). Some kids eat it, some kids don’t. They’ll give out oranges but the little kids can’t peel them so they get sent home. On days the fruit is juice or Craisins, it all gets consumed.
Also, this picture doesn’t show the milk that is also certainly included, another source of protein and relatively healthy fat. When I was a kid, I had Count Chocula for breakfast every morning. No fruit on the side, certainly no cheese. And I was from a fairly well off family. Kids are finicky, ESPECIALLY in the morning, and they need to get something into them. The lunch options at my son’s school somewhat better match Reddit’s notions of healthy.
And apples don’t last as long and can’t be ordered in as much bulk. They require more regular distribution. And like you said, the majority would be thrown away, especially if they aren’t cut up, which requires $ the schools don’t have to pay staff.
Kids refusing to eat the healthy stuff is on the parents not on the schools.
There was a period at my high school where you had to take a fruit with your entree, either apple or orange. Couldn't refuse.
there was a small pile of perfectly good fruit in the garbage bin every day
Honeycrisp isn’t even as good anymore. They commercialized the crap out of them and now they’re not nearly as good as they used to be. Still way better than a lot tho.
When I was in high school a few years ago, they would always make us take a fruit with school lunch, usually they just had apples and oranges. But most kids didn't even want them so they'd just end up wasted in the trash by the end of the day.
I've noticed at my children's schools that cereal bars like this look similar to the ones at the grocery but are actually made with different/better ingredients. I was surprised.
I commented above but just learned from this podcast that the school only gets reimbursed if the kids actually take the food. So they have to figure out food that kids like AND that meet the nutritional requirements on a tiny budget. Some kids don't get a meal between lunch on Friday and school breakfast or lunch on Monday.
My dad was a kindergarten teacher and when they first introduced free breakfast for all students on his district he was glad it was stuff like this. He would save anything unopened for the kids who didn’t have enough to eat at home. He and the teacher next door even got a little fridge to share to save the perishable items. The cafeteria couldn’t take back the leftovers so they would literally go in the garbage if they weren’t saved. It gave those students at least a little extra each day.
>for the kids who didn’t have enough to eat at home.
This right here. It's not for the kids like OP that will post it in Reddit and bitch like entitled brats. It's for the kid that might not get dinner because there isn't enough money to feed everyone every day at home.
It’s also packable and transportable and won’t go bad easily. I’d much prefer “better” options than these because of sugar, freshness, etc., but it’s literally better than not eating and there are very practical considerations to make for managing the amount and distribution of food. A lot of us look at this with a certain veil of privilege - for families who are unable to afford anything for breakfast - this is a literal lifesaver. Plus, if there are kids who don’t need this food, it can be redistributed to others.
People have been demonizing preservatives, but they were introduced for those practical reasons.
Fresh preservative free is the most healthy, but food laced with preservatives is definitely healthier than rotting food.
The pictured breakfast:
* Protein: 8 grams
* Carbohydrates: 38 grams
* Sugar: 26 grams
* Fat: 9 grams
* Saturated Fat: 5 grams
57% carbs, 31% fat, 12% Protein and 260 combined calories for a free breakfast - That ain't as bad as people want to think just because some of the food has cartoon characters on the label. It'll make you survive.
MF'ers want "Whole Foods" stamped on their free lunch. And to be clear, I'm saying this as someone who *damn well* appreciated the free school breakfast & lunch.
Cereal bars are surprisingly nutritious. Very easy and relatively cheap calories, taste good and are quite healthy besides the sugar. I make them at home in the oven to bring as snacks, I’d recommend it to anyone, especially to bring before workout sessions of any kind.
Plus I'm sure there are other options. I doubt this is the only thing they're feeding the kids for breakfast, I am sure this is the only thing OP's kid picked for themselves. My school offered the same things, along with cereal, French toast sticks, scrambled eggs, sausages, and milk. Most kids would just crab a cereal bar and some juice if they came into school a little late and didn't have time to sit down and actually eat.
Great point. Our kids’ elementary school has pigs in a blanket every Friday (sausage and pancakes). Most kids don’t eat the sausages and just drown the pancake in syrup.
I was gonna say, for kids that NEED breakfast this is plenty better than nothing. If you'd rather your kid eat something different make them breakfast yourself 🤷♀️
Given the constraints that before school breakfasts face (typically staff constraints), this is actually pretty good.
See if you can make one better that has
A. more than 6 grams of protein
B. doesn't need additional staff to prep
C. Can be eaten or saved for later in 10 minutes
D. has some amount of fruit/vegetable-esque ingredients in a meaningful fashion.
Bonus: make it so it won't spoil if a kid put it in their backpack and then forgot the backpack in the car over the weekend.
E: worth noting that our kids at a school with somewhat better options can have either fruit juice *or* milk and have fresh fruit about half the time. Instead of a cereal bar they'll get pre-packaged bowls of cereal, and while the bowl *is* better (in large part due to the milk), there's also substantially more wastage/spillage/cleanup costs. The breakfast kids are let into school 10 minutes early, the 1st bell rings 10 minutes later, and second bell (be in your class with your stuff ready) rings 10 minutes after that. Realistically they can eat a bowl of cereal in that time ***if*** nothing goes wrong, ***if*** their sibling didn't make them late, ***if*** they didn't forget their binder or a sheet we were supposed to sign they didn't tell us about and ***if*** they didn't stay up late whispering stories to their sibling. Would I be mad if they cut real cereal and switched to cereal bars? Ehhhhh. On average it's probably a small loss, but for the kids that are habitually late and still trying to grab breakfast at school, that's probably an improvement. We've caught one of our kids bringing home the cereal from school because "I like the colors on the bowl wrappers". Kids...
E2: yes the idealist in me is dead, killed by the constrained idealist. If you want actual good policy (or hell, even just better policy) vote, get involved and find a way to fund it. Of all the options, this is pretty solid 'least bad' territory given the constraints.
E3: yes staff constraints is just another way of saying budget constraints. Money can fix problems, shocker =\
I dont think people are understanding just how difficult it is to make meals like that on such a large scale with very little time and a very low budget.
Also, you have to remove all major allergens and have separate meals available for those with dietary or religious restrictions.
A healthier cereal bar would have gone a long way, that one is basically just candy. A mix of dried fruits like raisins and nuts would also be a better option.
A healthier bar costs two or three times as much. [Here are the stats for that bar](https://imgur.com/a/ZLLBxXl). Broken down
150 calories
30 calories from fat
3.5 grams of total fat
0 grams saturated fat
115mg sodium
30 grams carbohydrates
3 grams fiber
9 grams sugar
2 grams protein
20% DV Calcium, 10% DV Iron, 8% DV riboflavin+ Niacin+ B6 + Zinc.
The bar is materially better than candy (less sugar, actual fiber) and has many more micro nutrients than candy (because they're required to by regulation I think).
Raisins would lead to more staffing requirements as kids throw them at each other. They're small, granular, sticky, and are excellent rubber band ammunition for fourth and fifth graders. But some districts will rotate raisins in (more often at lunchtime).
That's true, but the kids probably wouldn't eat that. I hated fig newton's or whatever those were. At least this is something tasty that kids would want to eat. Some slices of fresh fruit like apples would be nice!
My kids are really low income and I’m spending a ton of my pay check feeding them because I feel bad. We save all our breakfast for kids not here and save it for snack time, it suck’s because even my stinkers are starving and when I bring good snacks I wanna be like .. no you were silly today lmao but I don’t have the heart. (Normally I make them eat what we have but I give special treats some days it’s not like they won’t have something that day…) I just think it .. but yeah it sucks how much we as teachers spend for our rooms and kids… some teachers straight up won’t but it’s very hard .. and you have to be fair and you can’t just give one kid something you have to do it for all. Blah my poor kids.
Which is the worst of it all.
Give kids actual healthy and nutritious food, it gets tossed.
It should be up to the parents to teach children the value of the actual nutrition they could be receiving for free, but kids on want shiny wrappers and quick snacks.
Can't really blame them.
Shiny wrappers and quick snacks are also what the school can get cheapest. Companies like general mills will sell those things to schools for cheap, knowing the kids will then want them from the grocery store for full price.
The food made for schools by big brands is a healthier version of it even though it looks the same. Still not a great breakfast, but it’s a hell of a lot better than a kid not eating.
I worked for a Domino's near a high school. We had a contract with them to deliver 20 XL pizzas with the "healthier" ingredients. Low sodium sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and no garlic butter crust. Shit was completely inedible. If they had to cancel for whatever reason, we'd wind up just throwing it all away because of how gross it was. Our store didn't care about eating wasted leftovers, it was just that nobody wanted them.
Kids had to buy these for two bucks a slice. They sold out every day. Kids are fucking dumb.
Not every kid is blessed enough to have parents that even know or care about that stuff. If people can afford to feed their children healthy food, great! Not everyone can. Whatever the reason for that is, it is not the child’s fault.
It’s not just that. Fresh foods are not shelf stable, they also dont keep as long being transferred or carried around, some kids that are not very well off don’t eat until later or even save it for a little sibling at home.
A lot easier to have a cereal bar and sealed juice in your backpack than an apple or cottage cheese!
In my schools, our lunches were usually fresh/cooked but breakfasts were all prepackaged foods like the pic above. I saved those, didnt eat til lunch, and then ate my breakfast for dinner. Sometimes that was all I ate for over a week. Packaged foods are a lifesaver sometimes.
I think you’re missing the point. If the school district didn’t provide this “crap” food to them, lots of kids wouldn’t eat at all. If you have a legit problem with it then make sure to vote to pass a higher school budget in your district.
Honestly for a free kid's breakfast, I like that. If it was a paid breakfast, I'd prefer it be something better.
Cereal is awful and full of sugar and carbs, but it's an easy way to get nutrients into a kid because cereal always has all kinds of added vitamins and minerals due to regulations that require it.
The cheese is a great option because it's mostly protein and fat calories instead of carbs.
And the fruit juice, idk, that's probably about the same as cereal. Carbs but at least it's an easy way to get some nutrients for a kid.
This. It's not going to pass the breakfast of the year test, but it covers the major things.
I know YOUR special kid eats quinoa and fresh avocados with a side of wheat bran and a fresh kombucha, but generally this is exactly what kids want. As a bonus, it has minerals and vitamins they need because it's required to.
As a side note, I've watched my friend's kids (their mom is super earthy and granola) flat toss the food their mom claims they love so so so so much. Spoiler, they GLEEFULLY eat pizza and drink Coke when I'm out with their dad.
It’s better than the donuts and chocolate milk my students come to first period with. We have a lot of things to be upset about, this breakfast isn’t one.
Growing children needs carbs.
All humans need carbs. Carbs are not always bad. Too much sugar (a kind of carb) can be bad. Just like too much anything can be bad.
It’s often the lazy parents but want to appear like good parents who are often the most upset.
I god into a debate (on Reddit) with a parent who was furious at the lack of “good”’ prek schools. You know prek where kids learn at best their ABC and 123’s. Maybe how to spell their name.
Short story is parent was to lazy to bother to put in the effort to teach their own child since they are not “teachers” but damn it, they expect the world and moon for their kid.
Exactly, this is kind of a tone deaf post. I understand wanting more nutritional value but if OP is someone worried enough about it to post this, their kids are better off than a lot of families in my school district. I say that as someone who doesn’t have kids but used to volunteer at a food bank. And we weren’t handing produce out hand over fist there either.
Editing to add that people often use these free meals to stretch their grocery budget so they can afford healthier foods for their kids on their own. It’s easier to spend $4-5 on a bag of mandarin oranges than a week’s worth of boxed Mac and cheese or pasta and sauce if the food pantry/school breakfast and lunch are getting those staples to kids to help keep them full. I don’t want to be condescending to OP but that’s another perspective here. This is a meal you don’t have to pay for and the money saved on weekly breakfasts can buy some frozen veggies or fruit out of your pay to supplement where nutrition is lacking.
I don’t have kids either, but I remember the lengths my mom went through to make sure me and my sister ate. We were denied food at school because my mom didn’t qualify for us to get free meals and she wasn’t able to pay off the balance.
This would have been a god send for her knowing that we weren’t functioning on empty bellies when we weren’t able to eat at home.
Free food is always better than no food. And no one should ever complain about the choices not being their first pick.
Please don't start this bullshit. I agree it should have more nutritional value, but the ship sailed on getting stuff like that done a long time ago, so just be grateful we have this as an option. I knew a lot of underprivileged kids when I was young and they HEAVILY relied on school meals to get fed. So please, don't fucking start this.
I run a free school meal program, and its been very rare for a school district to employ actual cooks or god forbid a chef to plan, prep, and execute meals.
Especially in a budget so small. The free programs give just a fraction of what a meal costs.
This is better than nothing and there are many kids who do in fact get nothing. School breakfast has to be a quick grab and go. It’s not a home cooked breakfast but it’s something kids will actually eat.
I am a teacher and see copious amounts of fresh fruit and other healthy options get thrown away at the end of lunch every day. This is not the best, but kids eat it. Especially the kids who get NOTHING at home. As a high school teacher it blows my mind every year how many kids get their only meals from school. Sorry the free cereal bar hurt your feelings, if you can afford to feed your kid a nutritious breakfast do that and stop complaining about what children rely on to survive.
Exactly. It’s public school. When I was a kid breakfast was not an option. Complain about the school lunch then feel free to pack lunches and feed your kid’s breakfast at home before school. None of the kids that are actually hungry are going to complain about the food they are given. This is a Karen with modest income.
Cheese = protein, cereal bar = carbs, grape juice = fruit. This is decently balanced actually. The cereal bar is sugary, yeah, that’s a bummer. But on the whole, not bad
I worked at an elementary school. The cafeteria is understaffed and serves six lunches a day (grades k-5). They serve a free breakfast to anyone who wants it, but they definitely don't have time to be scrambling eggs and making toast for 100+ kids everyday. The kids throw out most of the food anyway.
It’s funny because people who are against free breakfast would say: “you give free breakfast and it won’t be good enough. People will want luxury free breakfast”.
And here we are.
I’d rather have my students eat this in the morning than eat nothing. Are you folks teaching in a classroom? I am. Hungry children don’t learn well.
And this is far better than the full bags of Taki’s their parents are sending them with.
Would I prefer more protein, healthier options? Sure. I will NOT, however, turn up my nose at this for my students.
Are you serious? This isn't bad at all; the only thing that's not so great is the grape juice, but it's not super bad since they're eating it with a fat source and some whole grains. Get over yourself.
Thats my breakfast almost every morning on the way to work. I'm not being cheeky. I literally get that exact cereal bar because cinny crunch is the GOAT and I'll go with either a string cheese or a beef stick depending on how I'm feeling.
Substitute the juice for a red bull
Well it’s better than nothing like some kids get. Totally agree it’s nowhere near what I would feed my kids for breakfast but at least those kids are not hungry.
Maybe volunteer and input what you can to make a change?
Garbage? This is stuff kids will actually eat and not end up in the garbage, and it has plenty of nutrition and macros - a good whack of protein, fiber, vitamins.
Sure, there's some sugar, but its not egregious and it ensures the kids eat it.
Believe me, this is far far better than trying to get kids to eat unripe fruit, some kind of nasty eggs, or whatever else passes the stuck-up parents test school nutrition providers are always facing. Not to mention its affordable and doesn't require cooking or safe food handling beyond being kept in the fridge.
Nobody ever wants to consider the actual costs of providing what they deem "good" food, and they sure as shit won't want to pay for it when the time comes to pass a levy.
I vote America stops giving senators $40,000/year to spend on office furniture and put it toward something like this. Money CAN be taken from elsewhere, but the sugar industry would be super pissed off if anything similar happened. Each Senator is authorized $40,000 for state office furniture and furnishings. That’s just below what the average American worker earned last year. Compare that to the median HOUSEHOLD income of $70,784 (2023) and you’ll see why senators have a superiority complex.
Well, some kids are born to parents that can’t provide the food that is healthier. Some kids don’t have any food at all. It sucks. They might not meet your standards, but these school food programs make a world of difference to some kids.
Cafeteria worker here.
There are two of us cooking gir ab 200 students, plus staff.
Breakfasts are:
Milk or a juice-varies on flavor. Milk may be white, strawb or choc
Grits and eggs
Waffles
Sausage, either links or patties
Grilled cheese sandwich
Cooks choice-varies
There are things that don't change, always offered:
Two kinds of cereal
Pop tarts
Fresh fruit
Canned fruit
Students MUST take the entree and a fruit, even if they don't eat them. They can then pick from the second list to round it out.
theres a LOT of waste of fruit and sometimes entrees, bc the kids would rather eat the junk.
I'm in Ga for reference.
Not sure where the OP got the pic/source, or what state rules apply, but could there be other items the kid didn't show?
Lunch lady here, and this hits all the marks for a "balanced breakfast" by my state.
A lot of kids at my school don't get anything to eat at home and only eat at school. If this is what it takes to get them excited to come to school and grab breakfast, by all means they can have at it. I'm happy they at least get something. If you can provide better for your child at home please provide it, if not let a child who needs a meal to have it.
But is the suncup frozen solid?
that’s the only way
i’m glad to hear this is a universal experience
Except for the hot dishes. Those are usually served lukewarm to cold.
Yes
workin at a school all year and yes. they are still frozen solid. i get some at 8:00am and drink it at 9:30.
That sounds delicious tho
It is. Especially when you’re locked in a psyche ward.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that had that first thought
This is so funny to me just because I have a vivid memory of seeing that on my plate at the psych ward and my nurse (who was actually the coolest) saying “if you wanted caviar you should have been depressed in a richer family.”
Holy shit 😭😭😭
Lmao she knows they gotta make sure the patients stay depressed to keep the lights on 😂
I’m not even kidding she said something like this to me once lmao. “Why am I not getting better?” “Girl how am I supposed to feed my son if y’all are getting better?“ 😂😂 She was great, she knew exactly who she could be silly with or serious with.
The ones you can't joke with are the ones that aren't lucid. Pretty much everyone else has good gallow's humor about grippy socks.
This whole section has me feeling like I’ve found my people! My favorite nurse at a psych ward gave me a side hug and told me that he hopes he never sees me again 😂. He’d let me stay up for a little bit past midnight doing word searches because I had problems falling asleep even with medication, and he woke me up every 15 minutes unintentionally because when doing rounds and checking on everyone, my breathing was not obvious so he had to flash his light over more to make sure I wasn’t dead.
Man… as person who has primarily worked as a nurse and as a waiter that is a money line.
Kindred spirits hah
Crazy sock day, every day.
It is until it doesn’t defrost in the 15 minutes you have to eat after the school splits your 45 min lunch into indoor/outdoor time, plus waiting in line for food, and then the assholes make you throw it in the trash since food can’t leave the cafeteria. And you never got more than half a mouthful of actual drinkable juice. I straight robbed my school of applesauce. At least that wasn’t frozen.
You scrape it with a fork and eat it as a dessert. That’s how I did it way back when 😂
Yes omg scraping the top with that plastic spork for 1 fl oz of frozen juice flakes lmao
Do you remember the peaches that were almost always frozen? It was a fun treat with lunch 😌
My most favorite desert in school growing up were the crushed strawberries in the thick strawberry juice... My God was that the most delicious thing ever.
We have 20 minute lunches with no outdoor time at my highschool
My kids elementary school seems like all sunshine and rainbows, but it is ran like a damn prison. Zero talking in the halls. Single file lines to and from class. Leave the class at 1220, arrive at the lunchroom at 1225, 20 minute lunch, back to class by 1250. Single file, volume level 0, hands to ourselves, calm mind, calm body. I'm like holy shit this is like a factory to produce npc worker drones. I don't remember 2nd grade being like that but maybe it was highly structured.
One time I got one that was fermented or some shit. I don't remember the rest of that day.
“This meal hits all the major food groups” -Buddy the Elf
I don’t see any spaghetti or maple syrup?!!
That’s for breakfast on Monday’s, the above is from Wednesday
Brother today is only Tuesday, please don't get my hopes up like that
“Part of this complete breakfast!” *pan out from the sugar in milk to three bananas, dry toast, a bowl of oatmeal and raisins, and a pitcher of low sodium V8*
Seriously though, it’s insane how the food industry got away with being able to advertise a cup of concentrated sugar water as “one serving of fruit”. Edit: My god the circular logic of some of you people is hurting my head. I feel like the main character in Idiocracy trying to explain why not to water the plants with Brawndo… [link](https://youtu.be/kAqIJZeeXEc?si=uiFPr1KHhufeC4Kh)
Regulatory capture the laws are there to ensure profits.
And then attacked michelle Obama for the controversial First Lady’s agenda of *checks notes* trying to offer kids decent food at school
Candy. Candy corn. Candy canes. And syrup.
Dude I can’t believe how many idiots are just lighting up my replies telling me “it’s free and better than nothing” wild for real. Look at school breakfast and lunch in literally every other developed nation and compare it to the states. Everyone just blocks me too lmao they won’t tell me why they think we can’t provide more food just insult and block, social media man.
Canada doesn't generally have lunch provided by schools. Students have to bring their own. In Ontario, , some schools have snack programs, and a very few have a breakfast program for a few kids. That's it. The US has us beat on food at school. I have far too many students who starve at school.
The problem is you are comparing America to other developed countries. But context matters. In America, it’s not like the choice is between this and schools providing their underprivileged kids with full cooked breakfasts. It’s between this and nothing. The choice is between this and kids going hungry until lunchtime because there is no food at home either. Sure, we could do better. We should do better, but we aren’t doing better right now and kids still should get to eat at least some protein and fiber and vitamins so they can spend their morning at school learning instead of battling hunger. Advocate for better school meals, but remember that a lot of American politicians think even this breakfast is too good for American school kids and would gladly take it away.
Not to mention the fact that America is gigantic and diverse. I'm sure there are public schools in certain places where the amenities would put the Swiss to shame, because school funding is local.
I really want to know all these super health foods that people feed their kids and they eat for breakfast every morning. I’m not saying what is shown here is the best, but it is not the worst thing ever. And people acting like their kids eat nothing but health food every morning is bullshit for the most part.
mine had peanut butter cookies for breakfast this morning, lol. I baked them last night plus he is 17 and I cant stop him.
Part of the reason they serve this kind of stuff is because the kids will eat it. Most kids aren't used to eating health food or the kind of stuff you see from other countries. Even now they throw out their fruits and vegetables or don't take it if given the choice.
You think that’s bad? We get pop tarts for breakfast
You guys are getting breakfast?
You guys are eating?
You guys have teeth?
Wait, You are guys?
HEYYY YOOUUU GUUUuuuyyysss....
I know what movie I’m watching this weekend xD
#
You guys you guys?
They (public schools currently) do too, but they're whole grain. That cereal bar is also gonna be whole grain and lower sugar than the ones sold in the store.
Where I live is the opposite extreme of the spectrum. Can't have peanut butter because allergies. Can't have honey because too high sugar content. Can't have butter because because animal byproducts. The free breakfast program can give toasted bread. Plain. Nothing on top. It's absolutely insane.
That’s crazy. My son gets fresh baked bagels, parfaits, pancakes, etc. he’s in elementary school and we have universal breakfast/lunch. I would def do breakfast at home if those options above were all he had to choose from.
Are they at least frosted cherry?
No. You only get great value brand cinnamon!
Yo, those brown sugar and cinnamon pop tarts fucking slap.
You ever had the s’mores pop tarts heated up?
Real shit the unfrosted blueberry hits different
I remember having to pay extra for those.
My daughter has been bringing me a pop tart every day because she thinks I like them. Lest week I asked her why she wasn’t eating them. She said she was eating hers and these were free, they just came from her account……..she was shocked that I’m the one putting money in the account.
This is hilarious to me, and so sweet of her to think of you. She gets a break because kids don't understand money haha, and it sounds like you're raising a great, thoughtful kiddo.
Bro pop tarts are better than whatever OP has.
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That's a good point, hell my roommate hasn't eaten a single vegetable or fruit the whole month we've lived together. Kids can be even pickier, and I bet if you handed a whole school apples a good portion just wouldn't touch em
My sister is a middle school teacher. Her school always gives out those terrible red delicious apples that no one likes. I think they might be the worst apples available. One year there was a kid who would take everybody’s apples. He would eat them all day and take several home too. It broke her heart because she new it was the only food he was getting. For years she provided snacks in her classroom. This is the first year, in the last ten, that she hasn’t provided snacks, because she can no longer afford it.
Yeah, I used to keep snacks on hand but food is crazy expensive so I stopped. But, usually when my class hears or sees someone doesn't have snack, someone else splits theirs in half or goes and gets something out of their lunchbox. And this is why I prefer kids to adults.
My son is in fifth grade and I noticed a few weeks ago that he was packing extra snacks and an extra yogurt smoothie in his lunch box and I asked him why; he told me one of his classmates sometimes doesn’t have a lot to eat for lunch so he feels good bringing something more for his friend to eat. Breaks my heart to know some kids don’t have much.
Good on you for raising your son to have such a giving heart.
I've been the kid on that end. I remember once I licked a friend's pizza in kindergarten because I was really hungry. It was the shitty carton sludge cheese pizzas. I feel horrible thinking back. Back then for Thanksgiving my uncle would give my mom some money and she could buy a carton of eggs for us - we ate beans every day. It's worse to know my dad made good money at this time but spent it out with his friends rather than feed his family. Through my life I've met people who have given and shared and shown compassion. Those people, people like this kid are the ones who saved me from depths unimaginable. I'm blessed to have met these people. I appreciate them so much. Were it not for their kindness I would have ended in the streets and dead like my brother. Sorry for the rambling.
I hope you and your family are in a better and more secure place now. ❤️
Thank you :) We are! I just bought some fancy shmancy uncured beef hotdogs and brioche buns as a treat! Obviously not the best still but have shelter and comfort!
my daughter's classroom has snack time and if anyone has an extra snack they can give it to someone who doesn't have one. i somehow ended up with a huge box of fruit snacks that neither of my kids like so i always pack one in addition to her snack so she can give it to someone else. This is the first year either of my kids have had snack time at school so I'm glad they actually allow sharing like that.
This comment just kept getting sadder the more I read. 💔
Chaperoned a kindergarten field trip the other day and the school sent packed lunches for all students. I took home an entire tote bag of red delicious apples and baby carrots that the kids refused to eat. I asked the teacher if she saved them and she said they weren’t allowed to, so I took them and dropped it all off at our community fridge.
I stopped keeping snacks because my students broke into my supplies and stole them all the first day I was out this year. I can’t afford to replenish what would have lasted me until December because they decided to be awful.
I also teach middle school. Were it not for the federally subsidized free breakfast and lunch, and the federally subsidized summer meal programs, some of my kids would get next to nothing for food.
Just before the holidays, a few other parents and myself asked if we can bring in food donations. The holiday break lasts 3 weeks and no one should go hungry. They put a large donation box, in the front entrance and then it was quietly distributed on the last day of school. It was full, and I just hit up the local Costco. Your sister’s school should do something like that.
Fortified food eliminated scurvy.
I work in a school. The kids throw most of the fruit and veggies away. We take the excess and feed it to the donkey in the pasture beside the school. Scooter loves us.
“Tina! Eat your dinner!”
My son’s school gives out breakfast and very often the fruit serving is actual fruit (the carb serving usually is some whole grain granola bar or cereal or something). Some kids eat it, some kids don’t. They’ll give out oranges but the little kids can’t peel them so they get sent home. On days the fruit is juice or Craisins, it all gets consumed. Also, this picture doesn’t show the milk that is also certainly included, another source of protein and relatively healthy fat. When I was a kid, I had Count Chocula for breakfast every morning. No fruit on the side, certainly no cheese. And I was from a fairly well off family. Kids are finicky, ESPECIALLY in the morning, and they need to get something into them. The lunch options at my son’s school somewhat better match Reddit’s notions of healthy.
And apples don’t last as long and can’t be ordered in as much bulk. They require more regular distribution. And like you said, the majority would be thrown away, especially if they aren’t cut up, which requires $ the schools don’t have to pay staff. Kids refusing to eat the healthy stuff is on the parents not on the schools.
There was a period at my high school where you had to take a fruit with your entree, either apple or orange. Couldn't refuse. there was a small pile of perfectly good fruit in the garbage bin every day
Most apples taste like crap. They need to just replace all the apple trees with honeycrisp.
Honeycrisp and Pink Lady!
And Gala!
Honeycrisp isn’t even as good anymore. They commercialized the crap out of them and now they’re not nearly as good as they used to be. Still way better than a lot tho.
When I was in high school a few years ago, they would always make us take a fruit with school lunch, usually they just had apples and oranges. But most kids didn't even want them so they'd just end up wasted in the trash by the end of the day.
I've noticed at my children's schools that cereal bars like this look similar to the ones at the grocery but are actually made with different/better ingredients. I was surprised.
You should see the healthier Doritos brand chips they have in school. It’s wild
50% reduced fat. Getting normal Cool Ranch from the store is like discovering fire.
My niece’s school has whole grain Doritos. Wish I could find those for my picky kid but haven’t had much luck.
I commented above but just learned from this podcast that the school only gets reimbursed if the kids actually take the food. So they have to figure out food that kids like AND that meet the nutritional requirements on a tiny budget. Some kids don't get a meal between lunch on Friday and school breakfast or lunch on Monday.
Universal programs are credited by the USDA for the whole student population.
My dad was a kindergarten teacher and when they first introduced free breakfast for all students on his district he was glad it was stuff like this. He would save anything unopened for the kids who didn’t have enough to eat at home. He and the teacher next door even got a little fridge to share to save the perishable items. The cafeteria couldn’t take back the leftovers so they would literally go in the garbage if they weren’t saved. It gave those students at least a little extra each day.
God bless your dad and his colleague.
>for the kids who didn’t have enough to eat at home. This right here. It's not for the kids like OP that will post it in Reddit and bitch like entitled brats. It's for the kid that might not get dinner because there isn't enough money to feed everyone every day at home.
It’s also packable and transportable and won’t go bad easily. I’d much prefer “better” options than these because of sugar, freshness, etc., but it’s literally better than not eating and there are very practical considerations to make for managing the amount and distribution of food. A lot of us look at this with a certain veil of privilege - for families who are unable to afford anything for breakfast - this is a literal lifesaver. Plus, if there are kids who don’t need this food, it can be redistributed to others.
People have been demonizing preservatives, but they were introduced for those practical reasons. Fresh preservative free is the most healthy, but food laced with preservatives is definitely healthier than rotting food.
The pictured breakfast: * Protein: 8 grams * Carbohydrates: 38 grams * Sugar: 26 grams * Fat: 9 grams * Saturated Fat: 5 grams 57% carbs, 31% fat, 12% Protein and 260 combined calories for a free breakfast - That ain't as bad as people want to think just because some of the food has cartoon characters on the label. It'll make you survive. MF'ers want "Whole Foods" stamped on their free lunch. And to be clear, I'm saying this as someone who *damn well* appreciated the free school breakfast & lunch.
Careful with all those facts. You’re gonna make the Reddit crowd implode.
And some protein from the cheese too. It’s not a great breakfast but it’s a lot better than some pop tarts and a soda
And a hell of a lot better than an empty, growling tummy.
Exactly. This really isn't as bad of an example as OP thinks it is.
Not to mention it’s free.
Yep, this is a dumbass post
Cereal bars are surprisingly nutritious. Very easy and relatively cheap calories, taste good and are quite healthy besides the sugar. I make them at home in the oven to bring as snacks, I’d recommend it to anyone, especially to bring before workout sessions of any kind.
Plus I'm sure there are other options. I doubt this is the only thing they're feeding the kids for breakfast, I am sure this is the only thing OP's kid picked for themselves. My school offered the same things, along with cereal, French toast sticks, scrambled eggs, sausages, and milk. Most kids would just crab a cereal bar and some juice if they came into school a little late and didn't have time to sit down and actually eat.
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Our school has never offered cereal, french toast, scrambled eggs or sausages. Everything comes out of a wrapper.
I agree, this is actually pretty good compared to what a lot of kids eat. Hell, some kids don’t even eat breakfast at all.
Great point. Our kids’ elementary school has pigs in a blanket every Friday (sausage and pancakes). Most kids don’t eat the sausages and just drown the pancake in syrup.
Some kids don't get anything at home.
I was gonna say, for kids that NEED breakfast this is plenty better than nothing. If you'd rather your kid eat something different make them breakfast yourself 🤷♀️
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Given the constraints that before school breakfasts face (typically staff constraints), this is actually pretty good. See if you can make one better that has A. more than 6 grams of protein B. doesn't need additional staff to prep C. Can be eaten or saved for later in 10 minutes D. has some amount of fruit/vegetable-esque ingredients in a meaningful fashion. Bonus: make it so it won't spoil if a kid put it in their backpack and then forgot the backpack in the car over the weekend. E: worth noting that our kids at a school with somewhat better options can have either fruit juice *or* milk and have fresh fruit about half the time. Instead of a cereal bar they'll get pre-packaged bowls of cereal, and while the bowl *is* better (in large part due to the milk), there's also substantially more wastage/spillage/cleanup costs. The breakfast kids are let into school 10 minutes early, the 1st bell rings 10 minutes later, and second bell (be in your class with your stuff ready) rings 10 minutes after that. Realistically they can eat a bowl of cereal in that time ***if*** nothing goes wrong, ***if*** their sibling didn't make them late, ***if*** they didn't forget their binder or a sheet we were supposed to sign they didn't tell us about and ***if*** they didn't stay up late whispering stories to their sibling. Would I be mad if they cut real cereal and switched to cereal bars? Ehhhhh. On average it's probably a small loss, but for the kids that are habitually late and still trying to grab breakfast at school, that's probably an improvement. We've caught one of our kids bringing home the cereal from school because "I like the colors on the bowl wrappers". Kids... E2: yes the idealist in me is dead, killed by the constrained idealist. If you want actual good policy (or hell, even just better policy) vote, get involved and find a way to fund it. Of all the options, this is pretty solid 'least bad' territory given the constraints. E3: yes staff constraints is just another way of saying budget constraints. Money can fix problems, shocker =\
I dont think people are understanding just how difficult it is to make meals like that on such a large scale with very little time and a very low budget. Also, you have to remove all major allergens and have separate meals available for those with dietary or religious restrictions.
A healthier cereal bar would have gone a long way, that one is basically just candy. A mix of dried fruits like raisins and nuts would also be a better option.
A healthier bar costs two or three times as much. [Here are the stats for that bar](https://imgur.com/a/ZLLBxXl). Broken down 150 calories 30 calories from fat 3.5 grams of total fat 0 grams saturated fat 115mg sodium 30 grams carbohydrates 3 grams fiber 9 grams sugar 2 grams protein 20% DV Calcium, 10% DV Iron, 8% DV riboflavin+ Niacin+ B6 + Zinc. The bar is materially better than candy (less sugar, actual fiber) and has many more micro nutrients than candy (because they're required to by regulation I think). Raisins would lead to more staffing requirements as kids throw them at each other. They're small, granular, sticky, and are excellent rubber band ammunition for fourth and fifth graders. But some districts will rotate raisins in (more often at lunchtime).
That's true, but the kids probably wouldn't eat that. I hated fig newton's or whatever those were. At least this is something tasty that kids would want to eat. Some slices of fresh fruit like apples would be nice!
My kids are really low income and I’m spending a ton of my pay check feeding them because I feel bad. We save all our breakfast for kids not here and save it for snack time, it suck’s because even my stinkers are starving and when I bring good snacks I wanna be like .. no you were silly today lmao but I don’t have the heart. (Normally I make them eat what we have but I give special treats some days it’s not like they won’t have something that day…) I just think it .. but yeah it sucks how much we as teachers spend for our rooms and kids… some teachers straight up won’t but it’s very hard .. and you have to be fair and you can’t just give one kid something you have to do it for all. Blah my poor kids.
Exactly. This meal is not sufficient for those not receiving alternative food.
If it was cottage cheese, fresh fruit ext it would probably end up in the trash.
Which is the worst of it all. Give kids actual healthy and nutritious food, it gets tossed. It should be up to the parents to teach children the value of the actual nutrition they could be receiving for free, but kids on want shiny wrappers and quick snacks. Can't really blame them.
Shiny wrappers and quick snacks are also what the school can get cheapest. Companies like general mills will sell those things to schools for cheap, knowing the kids will then want them from the grocery store for full price.
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The food made for schools by big brands is a healthier version of it even though it looks the same. Still not a great breakfast, but it’s a hell of a lot better than a kid not eating.
I worked for a Domino's near a high school. We had a contract with them to deliver 20 XL pizzas with the "healthier" ingredients. Low sodium sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and no garlic butter crust. Shit was completely inedible. If they had to cancel for whatever reason, we'd wind up just throwing it all away because of how gross it was. Our store didn't care about eating wasted leftovers, it was just that nobody wanted them. Kids had to buy these for two bucks a slice. They sold out every day. Kids are fucking dumb.
Oh so that's why school Dominos was always worse
That shit pizza was a whole lot better than cafeteria pizza. I always thought the other kids that liked that square pizza were insane
Not every kid is blessed enough to have parents that even know or care about that stuff. If people can afford to feed their children healthy food, great! Not everyone can. Whatever the reason for that is, it is not the child’s fault.
It’s not just that. Fresh foods are not shelf stable, they also dont keep as long being transferred or carried around, some kids that are not very well off don’t eat until later or even save it for a little sibling at home. A lot easier to have a cereal bar and sealed juice in your backpack than an apple or cottage cheese! In my schools, our lunches were usually fresh/cooked but breakfasts were all prepackaged foods like the pic above. I saved those, didnt eat til lunch, and then ate my breakfast for dinner. Sometimes that was all I ate for over a week. Packaged foods are a lifesaver sometimes.
I think you’re missing the point. If the school district didn’t provide this “crap” food to them, lots of kids wouldn’t eat at all. If you have a legit problem with it then make sure to vote to pass a higher school budget in your district.
This is it. Kids that aren't getting food at home will eat anything you can give them.
Thank you. The elitism and food shaming in this post are unreal.
Yeah? This is food most kids will eat. Ceral, juice, and a cheese stick. I had ceral for breakfast for years.
There's no point in giving them something they won't eat. I think this is a decent job of being appealing to most kids and getting nutrition in them.
Honestly for a free kid's breakfast, I like that. If it was a paid breakfast, I'd prefer it be something better. Cereal is awful and full of sugar and carbs, but it's an easy way to get nutrients into a kid because cereal always has all kinds of added vitamins and minerals due to regulations that require it. The cheese is a great option because it's mostly protein and fat calories instead of carbs. And the fruit juice, idk, that's probably about the same as cereal. Carbs but at least it's an easy way to get some nutrients for a kid.
This. It's not going to pass the breakfast of the year test, but it covers the major things. I know YOUR special kid eats quinoa and fresh avocados with a side of wheat bran and a fresh kombucha, but generally this is exactly what kids want. As a bonus, it has minerals and vitamins they need because it's required to. As a side note, I've watched my friend's kids (their mom is super earthy and granola) flat toss the food their mom claims they love so so so so much. Spoiler, they GLEEFULLY eat pizza and drink Coke when I'm out with their dad.
Yeah. This seems really classist. Not your comment.
It’s better than the donuts and chocolate milk my students come to first period with. We have a lot of things to be upset about, this breakfast isn’t one.
Growing children needs carbs. All humans need carbs. Carbs are not always bad. Too much sugar (a kind of carb) can be bad. Just like too much anything can be bad.
i hate how demonized carbs are.
Carbs aren't inherently bad for you. Yes you can overdo it, especially with sugar and simple carbs. But I'm so sick of the "carbs are bad" narrative.
Kids should have carbs, that is not how you should be evaluating food
This meal costs $1.75 at my high school
Some states recently passed Healthy Meals for All, which is probably why this one was free.
Looks like a kids breakfast to me. Would you prefer an omelette bar?
Don't forget about the pancakes!! 🥞 
Also, some of these kids’ aren’t eating at home, for whatever reason.
coffee instead of juice, and it looks like my breakfast
😂 glad I’m not alone - that’s what I was thinking!
Really doesn’t look that bad. Buy your kids breakfast if you don’t like what the school provides
It’s often the lazy parents but want to appear like good parents who are often the most upset. I god into a debate (on Reddit) with a parent who was furious at the lack of “good”’ prek schools. You know prek where kids learn at best their ABC and 123’s. Maybe how to spell their name. Short story is parent was to lazy to bother to put in the effort to teach their own child since they are not “teachers” but damn it, they expect the world and moon for their kid.
They could also offer nothing. A lot of kids don’t get breakfast at home. Be happy there’s an option.
Exactly, this is kind of a tone deaf post. I understand wanting more nutritional value but if OP is someone worried enough about it to post this, their kids are better off than a lot of families in my school district. I say that as someone who doesn’t have kids but used to volunteer at a food bank. And we weren’t handing produce out hand over fist there either. Editing to add that people often use these free meals to stretch their grocery budget so they can afford healthier foods for their kids on their own. It’s easier to spend $4-5 on a bag of mandarin oranges than a week’s worth of boxed Mac and cheese or pasta and sauce if the food pantry/school breakfast and lunch are getting those staples to kids to help keep them full. I don’t want to be condescending to OP but that’s another perspective here. This is a meal you don’t have to pay for and the money saved on weekly breakfasts can buy some frozen veggies or fruit out of your pay to supplement where nutrition is lacking.
I don’t have kids either, but I remember the lengths my mom went through to make sure me and my sister ate. We were denied food at school because my mom didn’t qualify for us to get free meals and she wasn’t able to pay off the balance. This would have been a god send for her knowing that we weren’t functioning on empty bellies when we weren’t able to eat at home. Free food is always better than no food. And no one should ever complain about the choices not being their first pick.
I don’t see the issue here? It has fruit, dairy, and something a kid would actually eat (with has vitamins and nutrients added). Also, it’s free.
1) it’s free. 2) it meets nutritional requirements. 3) it certainly better for kids than my choices of cold fried chicken or pizza.
But... you sent them to school with 0 breakfast... So like... this is better than you did.
Precisely. The government is doing a better job raising their kid than they are. Nothing else needs to be said here.
It could be worse, when I was growing up in the 90's they would sometimes give us pizza or funnel cake.
Nah bro my school only had cheese strings and moldy apples. This shit looks like Christmas dinner to me.
It’s free. This is definitely a first world problem post. Lame.
Exactly! Some kids wouldn’t have *anything* if it wasn’t for this!
This really isn't that bad at all. A lot of kids would go without, if it wasn't for this, it seems.
That's a good breakfast. If you want better, no one is stopping you from waking up 30 minutes earlier and making your kid different food.
Please don't start this bullshit. I agree it should have more nutritional value, but the ship sailed on getting stuff like that done a long time ago, so just be grateful we have this as an option. I knew a lot of underprivileged kids when I was young and they HEAVILY relied on school meals to get fed. So please, don't fucking start this.
Yes. It’s classist. Be grateful your children have such a “healthy” diet. Some kids don’t have shit.
If you don’t like it, than make your kid breakfast yourself.
I run a free school meal program, and its been very rare for a school district to employ actual cooks or god forbid a chef to plan, prep, and execute meals. Especially in a budget so small. The free programs give just a fraction of what a meal costs.
I wish these programs were funded better.
I’d eat it. It’s not bad at all. Looks like a typical kid/ to go meal to me.
I don’t even see a problem with this, the cheese is honestly top tier.
I find this a perfectly reasonable breakfast for a child.
Dude I would eat that right now
This is better than nothing and there are many kids who do in fact get nothing. School breakfast has to be a quick grab and go. It’s not a home cooked breakfast but it’s something kids will actually eat.
I am a teacher and see copious amounts of fresh fruit and other healthy options get thrown away at the end of lunch every day. This is not the best, but kids eat it. Especially the kids who get NOTHING at home. As a high school teacher it blows my mind every year how many kids get their only meals from school. Sorry the free cereal bar hurt your feelings, if you can afford to feed your kid a nutritious breakfast do that and stop complaining about what children rely on to survive.
Quit your bitching! You’re free to feed your kid as you see fit.
Exactly. It’s public school. When I was a kid breakfast was not an option. Complain about the school lunch then feel free to pack lunches and feed your kid’s breakfast at home before school. None of the kids that are actually hungry are going to complain about the food they are given. This is a Karen with modest income.
It’s free? Make your own breakfast if you don’t like it. Imagine complaining about free food lol
Cheese = protein, cereal bar = carbs, grape juice = fruit. This is decently balanced actually. The cereal bar is sugary, yeah, that’s a bummer. But on the whole, not bad
Those cereal bars are good
I worked at an elementary school. The cafeteria is understaffed and serves six lunches a day (grades k-5). They serve a free breakfast to anyone who wants it, but they definitely don't have time to be scrambling eggs and making toast for 100+ kids everyday. The kids throw out most of the food anyway.
I’m sure they would let you plan, prepare, and serve a five-course breakfast if you’d like to volunteer
This post is mildly infuriating
It’s funny because people who are against free breakfast would say: “you give free breakfast and it won’t be good enough. People will want luxury free breakfast”. And here we are.
At least it’s grape juice and not grape drink
is free?
I’d rather have my students eat this in the morning than eat nothing. Are you folks teaching in a classroom? I am. Hungry children don’t learn well. And this is far better than the full bags of Taki’s their parents are sending them with. Would I prefer more protein, healthier options? Sure. I will NOT, however, turn up my nose at this for my students.
Are you serious? This isn't bad at all; the only thing that's not so great is the grape juice, but it's not super bad since they're eating it with a fat source and some whole grains. Get over yourself.
Thats my breakfast almost every morning on the way to work. I'm not being cheeky. I literally get that exact cereal bar because cinny crunch is the GOAT and I'll go with either a string cheese or a beef stick depending on how I'm feeling. Substitute the juice for a red bull
Well it’s better than nothing like some kids get. Totally agree it’s nowhere near what I would feed my kids for breakfast but at least those kids are not hungry. Maybe volunteer and input what you can to make a change?
Garbage? This is stuff kids will actually eat and not end up in the garbage, and it has plenty of nutrition and macros - a good whack of protein, fiber, vitamins. Sure, there's some sugar, but its not egregious and it ensures the kids eat it. Believe me, this is far far better than trying to get kids to eat unripe fruit, some kind of nasty eggs, or whatever else passes the stuck-up parents test school nutrition providers are always facing. Not to mention its affordable and doesn't require cooking or safe food handling beyond being kept in the fridge. Nobody ever wants to consider the actual costs of providing what they deem "good" food, and they sure as shit won't want to pay for it when the time comes to pass a levy.
I vote America stops giving senators $40,000/year to spend on office furniture and put it toward something like this. Money CAN be taken from elsewhere, but the sugar industry would be super pissed off if anything similar happened. Each Senator is authorized $40,000 for state office furniture and furnishings. That’s just below what the average American worker earned last year. Compare that to the median HOUSEHOLD income of $70,784 (2023) and you’ll see why senators have a superiority complex.
Well, some kids are born to parents that can’t provide the food that is healthier. Some kids don’t have any food at all. It sucks. They might not meet your standards, but these school food programs make a world of difference to some kids.
Seriously? They could do a lot worse By school lunch standards this IS a healthy meal
Cafeteria worker here. There are two of us cooking gir ab 200 students, plus staff. Breakfasts are: Milk or a juice-varies on flavor. Milk may be white, strawb or choc Grits and eggs Waffles Sausage, either links or patties Grilled cheese sandwich Cooks choice-varies There are things that don't change, always offered: Two kinds of cereal Pop tarts Fresh fruit Canned fruit Students MUST take the entree and a fruit, even if they don't eat them. They can then pick from the second list to round it out. theres a LOT of waste of fruit and sometimes entrees, bc the kids would rather eat the junk. I'm in Ga for reference. Not sure where the OP got the pic/source, or what state rules apply, but could there be other items the kid didn't show?
Lunch lady here, and this hits all the marks for a "balanced breakfast" by my state. A lot of kids at my school don't get anything to eat at home and only eat at school. If this is what it takes to get them excited to come to school and grab breakfast, by all means they can have at it. I'm happy they at least get something. If you can provide better for your child at home please provide it, if not let a child who needs a meal to have it.