Healthy Food Too Expensive for Schools

Todays' News and Observer offers an excellent piece on the problem of offering good food at a decent price. You can see the crux of the problem in the comments of Oyinkan Olusesi, a sophomore at Wakefield High: "She said $2 is too much to pay for a school cafeteria meal when more appealing food can be had elsewhere at competitive prices. 'A lot of people are going to McDonald's because of their dollar menu.'"

While the kids might enjoy eating at McDonald's, adults are frustrated: "Wake PTA President Sarah Martin said her group gets 'tons of questions' from parents frustrated about school food. 'I think it all comes back to the money end of things, and that's where we keep getting stuck,' she said." For instance, a fresh apple costs the school 22 cents--but they can get the same serving of applesauce, with more sugar and more processing, for half that price.

One proposed solution, buried in the article's sidebar, is to develop the farm-to-school program, which allows schools to partner with local farmers to provide produce at lower prices. Could this really work? We like to think so, and we will continue to explore this question. Stay tuned.