A pre-packaged school lunch. (From Mrs. Q’s blog)
Groups advocating for healthy school lunches in the city are urging parents and community members to sign a petition opposing the planned closure of more than two dozen full-service school kitchens, including the one at the Penn Alexander School (4209 Spruce St.).
The proposed closure of the full-service kitchens, which are part of the School District of Philadelphia’s plan to balance its budget, would mean that Penn Alexander students and some 16,000 students at 25 other schools would no longer receive meals cooked at school but would be served pre-packaged meals shipped in from a company located in Brooklyn.
More than two-thirds of the district’s schools, which lack full-service kitchens, already serve lunch this way and the district estimates that closing the 26 full-service kitchens would save an additional $2.3 million. Many of the schools that serve pre-packaged meals now never had full-service kitchens.
But advocates from Fair Food, The Food Trust and a growing number of parents oppose the decision, which has not yet been finalized, arguing that the pre-packaged meals teach children bad eating habits.
These groups are asking parents and community members to sign this electronic petition, which will be sent to Superintendent Arlene Ackerman.
Fair Food and The Food Trust are also trying to save the “Farm to School” program at Penn Alexander and two dozen other schools in the city. The program contracts with local farmers to supply schools with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Alyssa Moles, the Farm to School program coordinator for The Food Trust, said by e-mail that her organization is lobbying the District to retain the program. She wrote that she has been assured that, even if the full-service kitchens are closed, that “it will not affect the Farm to School program at those schools and they are also looking at ways of making sure that the schools that were not part of the program will continue to receive fresh fruit and vegetable offerings every day.”
Many schools nationwide have made the transition to pre-packaged meals prepared off-site. These meals are not always hot. For some insight into what pre-packaged lunches are like, check out this blog from “Mrs. Q,” a teacher in Illinois, who ate (and photographed) them every school day in 2010.
The District’s proposal has also garnered national attention. Writing in Mother Jones magazine, Tom Phillpott argues that the cuts are indicative of a new austere reality in the United States.
The school’s losing cafeterias (from the Inquirer):
Baldi Middle, Barratt/Childs Elementary,Beeber Middle, Conwell Middle, DeBurgos Elementary, H.R. Edmunds Elementary, Feltonville Arts and Sciences, Finletter Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Harding Middle, Hunter Elementary, Jones Middle, Juniata Park Elementary, Marin-Munoz Elementary, Marshall Elementary, Meehan Middle, Overbrook Education Center, Penn Alexander Elementary, Penn Treaty Middle, Pepper Middle, Shaw Middle, Spruance Elementary, Tilden Middle, Grover Washington Middle, Wagner Middle, Wilson Middle.
Other ways to follow the story:
Good School Food for Philly Kids (Facebook group)
Philadelphia Inquirer story on the proposed closures
July 12th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
do you know the name of the warehouse in brooklyn and how much they get paid?…where does the food come from…is it cooked in the warehouse or someplace else? that info would be interesting to know and reflect on.
July 12th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
@one9: “They will switch from food prepared in the school by cafeteria workers to meals cooked, plated, and frozen several days before consumption and trucked in from a warehouse in Brooklyn, N.Y.”
Blech!
Source:
http://articles.philly.com/2011-06-30/news/29722033_1_school-meals-kitchens-elementary-schools
July 12th, 2011 at 11:34 pm
We need Jamie Oliver!!!
July 13th, 2011 at 8:26 am
So, is there is nowhere in or around Philadelphia that the district can buy this pre-plated, frozen garbage that they’re serving our children? I too would like to know a bit more about this warehouse in Brooklyn.
July 13th, 2011 at 10:37 am
I went to a presentation by someone from Fair Food Philly and she did mention working with the district to bring the pre-plated business into Philly or at least closer than Brooklyn! And more fresh options too. I wonder if those efforts have stalled because of the budget but it doesn’t make sense that trucking lunches in from Brooklyn could possibly be cheaper.
In many ways though, the districts hands are tied because of federal funding/policy. However, they could still be doing a lot better.
Here are the websites she recommended for people interested in the issue:
http://www.puffaphilly.org
http://www.frac.org
http://www.farmtoschool.org
http://www.usda.gov
http://www.onetray.org
http://www.schoolfoodfocus.org
July 13th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Maramont Corp.
July 14th, 2011 at 1:33 am
http://articles.philly.com/2011-06-09/entertainment/29638841_1_north-broad-street-s-osteria-annual-great-chefs-event-chase-utley
” A few of the dollars they’ll raise will go to feed the minds and stomachs of Philly school kids. This is the food dudes’ new project. They call it “Eatiquette.”
“Kids are not eating well in our schools,” said Benjamin. The culprits he names are not new: high-calorie choices, overall rowdiness in the cafeteria, too-fast feasting, along with an overall lack of table manners. In Philly, it’s worse, Benjamin said, because out of “270 public schools, only 70 of them have kitchens.” The rest, he said, get less-than-fresh lunchtime fare bused in. “Talk about the cards being stacked against you. When you start busing in food, your standards go down.”
For Vetri et al, Benjamin explained, changing in-school dining is “low-hanging fruit.” Already, fellow food-oriented superstars first lady Michelle Obama, Jamie Oliver, “Molto” Mario Batali and organizations such as New York City’s vaunted “WINS” Wellness in the Schools program have shined the spotlight on school lunches.
Plus, team Vetri already works with local farmers and purveyors to feed people for a living. Just that this time around, they’re feeding smaller people – for a lot less money.
Last summer, the Vetri dudes did a trial run for gaggles of wee eaters at the ESF Dream Camp at Girard College. Vetri, Michaud and Benjamin planned and served fresh lunches made with good-for-you ingredients. It was food that kids liked, just healthier. For example: They used local, organic birds to make panko-crusted baked chicken tenders.
They explained to the campers where their food was coming from – even showed them the farms on a map. They also encouraged kid-friendly mealtime conversations. The result: “The kids’ misbehavior incidences went down by a factor of 20,” Benjamin said. … ”
” “The argument that kids won’t eat healthy food if you give it to them is simply not true,” said Littell.
Enter Vetri, most likely on his motorcycle. Next year, the kids of Wissahickon Charter will lunch family-style, learning how to eat well in every sense – learning, even, where their food comes from. “We’re making the change from a quick filling of the gas tank to a dining experience,” said Littell.
All at less than $3 per eater – not a bad price, for a meal from Vetri. “