Changes in School Lunches Affect Students and Staff

COVID-19 and quarantine led to challenges for school lunches

by staffer Bela Parrett

School lunches have shifted over the past few yearsfrom the beginning of the pandemic with waivers allowing any available food to be served, and serving food for free to now. The regulations on dietary requirements have returned and so have the prices.

When schools across the nation shut down due to the quarantine in March 2020, food production also dropped as people began working from home. Because of the limited food production, companies stopped vending to schools, and the schools had less variety in their menus. The Food and Nutrition Service issued nationwide waivers which took away limitations that kept school food whole wheat and sugar-free. They also allowed schools to serve whatever they could find through a vendor and for free.

“At that time we also had waivers,” food service manager Sarah Garcia said. “So we didn’t have to follow the strict guidelines that are in place today. So when [first lady] Michelle Obama was in office with her husband, we had to go to whole wheat everything and all those different restrictions that we had. Well, that’s what those waivers covered. It covered everybody to eat free. It covered us to use whatever food we can find to feed everybody.”

The district served free lunch during lockdown and during hybrid weeks because of COVID-19. These lunches were often limit- ed, but they fed the entire district free of charge.

“We did meals and curbside meals, and so families would drive by,” assistant director of Food Services for NKC Schools Andrea Wilhoit said. “And we would have some meals prepared for students that they could pick up for their families.”

This is the first school year there have been no quarantine protocols in the district. Free lunches and unrestricted lunch options were no longer available.

“Now everybody has to go back to full pay or if you qualify for reduced and free, that really changes the dynamics in everybody eating you know, everybody doesn’t get to eat free,” Garcia said. “I try and push everybody who does get free lunch or reduced lunch to get their fruits and vegetables and put them in a basket, or if they just want the juice, to get the extra breakfast and put it in a basket. This way, the kids who can’t afford to eat can actually grab from there and have something.”

Over quarantine, the school district found new vendors for school lunches and had to leave behind the old ones, who no longer vend to schools or have limited supplies.

“To be able to get food was a big challenge,” Wilhoit said. “We had various vendors drop us and so we had to pick up Martin Brothers in July of 2021.”

Now, the district has a menu that is regularly served, unlike the lunches during quarantine, which was any food the school could find.

It has been a struggle to purchase high quality food due to the food shortage, an ongoing effect of the pandemic.

“The product is different,” Garcia said. “Our popcorn chicken used to be Tyson brand. And now we can’t get that brand because it was out of stock half the time. So we go for what else we can get on the budget that we do have for the schools. It changes the product, which changes the taste and the food. If the kid liked it last month, they might not like it this month.”

The school district officials said they do their best with lunches, and some students appreciate it.

Freshman Jorge Fernandez said, “Overall I am content with the food that they give us. They’re doing the best they can. It’s not top tier high quality. I would say more serving sizes would be better and just keep it up with the fresh fruit.”

Many students, however, have complained about lunches this year.

“I ate a strawberry that felt like it was ice,” freshman Sebastian Ritchey said.

Garcia understands students’ complaints about the lunches.

“I’m just trying to feed everybody and make sure that they’re happy with what they get,” she said. “If they don’t like it, then you know, I let them choose something different and be like, ‘here, let me see that you could take something else.’”