I had horrible eating habits as a teenager; routinely skipping breakfast and rarely eating lunch. So the few times I did venture through the school’s cafeteria line, I grabbed (you guessed it) a slice of pizza or an order of french fries. Aren’t they part of the four food groups?

School food programs have come a long way since then, though in some ways, they’ve remained the same. Meant to be self-sustaining operations, food services have found it harder and harder to turn a profit, let alone break even, as the cost of food, fuel, and labor continues to rise, while the expectations for what they provide continue to expand.

Hence, pizza and french fries can still be found on the menus of just about every school in America, despite federal mandates and local desire to serve more nutritious fare because, let’s face it, that stuff sells. To their credit (and to the credit of food vendors), districts modify the fast food items: low-fat cheeses typically top whole grain crusts and french fries are baked, never fried.

Oh the sleight-of-hand and the clever machinations food service departments must perform in order to appease so many interests, not the least of which is their customer’s belly. For more on the complexities, challenges, and future of the school district food program, read the cover package in our June edition of ASBJ, which is now available online.

Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor