Bye, bye chicken lunches.
Schools across America have switched to healthier lunch offerings due to First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity.
In February Obama spoke out in a press conference about her plan to change the menu for school lunches. This means cleaning out vending machines of candy and sugary drinks, and requiring schools to serve less fattening foods. But this isn’t something that she woke up recently realizing. It has been an issue that’s been in her heart throughout her husband’s two-term presidency.
In February of 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama introduced Let’s Move, incorporating the Healthier US School Challenge into her campaign to raise a healthier generation of kids. She has in the past hosted specials on Nickelodeon to get the youth up and active because kids growing up today are trained couch potatoes.
First Lady Obama’s issue with school lunches has caused SHS to make multiple changes to its food court style cafeteria that last year had separate lines for nachos, submarine sandwiches, home-cooked meals, pizza, and the very famous chicken line. Due to the new policy, Southfield High School no longer has the chicken line.
Sophomore Jessica Cain said that the school lunch changes are horrible. “I’m an athlete and I already eat healthy, but the fact that I am being forced to eat whole grain pizza is ridiculous. Instead of taking the chicken out of the schools, make gym a year long class, or force everyone to join a sport. Don’t make everyone suffer for the poor decisions some kids are making.”
Sophomores through seniors are disappointed with the elimination of the tender chicken that was once served. Freshmen who never experienced the chicken may not understand the popularity or importance of the former line, which served four different options of fried chicken wings, regular, spicy, barbecue, and spicy barbecue with a choice of potato wedges or French fries.
Senior Torre Perry say hot chicken lunch last year was the highlight of his day.
Students in past years would sneak out of class 5 minutes before the bell or ask to leave class to use the restroom to get in the chicken line so they wouldn’t have to stand waiting for 15 minutes.
Senior Dolorian Straughter says “Once that lunch bell rang, kids would swarm to the cafeteria and push, cut, and jump to get in the chicken line. I didn’t get it every day, but it was nice to have when I did want it.”
The chicken gone isn’t the only thing different about the cafeteria. The pizza crust, pasta, and bread are whole wheat this year; also the meat in the nacho line is turkey meat instead of beef.
The vending machines are cleaned out of foods that were filled with sugar and salt. No hot Cheetos, Honey Buns, or Skittles, it’s all been switched to baked chips, sugar-free candy bars and organic snacks such as Kettle chips and protein bars. Even the soda and juice options are zero calories.
The new policy isn’t affecting every one. The freshmen never had the lunch options that the upper-class had in previous years. Freshman Klein O’Neal said, “I never actually had the chicken or any of the original food to be upset.”
“The changes bothered me at first, but now I know to just bring my own lunch,” said senior Malaika McCray.
McCray says the school lunch isn’t that bad, and there are some benefits to the changes. Most senior girls want to look great for prom, McCray said, and it’s hard watching your weight when there are fried foods and sugary snacks around. So instead of being upset, McCray says to try thinking about how awesome you’ll look come May.
McCray says the government might not be able to control what kids eat at home, but it is trying to make a change in the schools.