School Lunches

Full-Service Cafeterias Cooking Again at Some Philly Public Schools

Looks appetizing, huh?
Looks appetizing, huh? Photo: Jamie Buscemi via Flickr

Though it’s hardly the Eatiquette model of cafeteria operations that Marc Vetri came up with, the ever embattled Philadelphia School District recently took a huge step toward improving the quality, and nutritional integrity of meals it serves to students. According to the Inky, schools began re-staffing cafeterias at 10 schools, and preparing lunches on site. During the 2010-2011 school year, the district shut down cafeteria kitchens at three-quarters of the city’s public schools in an effort to offset colossal budget shortfalls. In lieu of meals prepared on site, the district contracted with a service that trucked in pre-packaged lunches from New York. And, not surprisingly, the kids hated them, and most reportedly ended up in the trash. Just as Vetri maintains, children know, and respond to fresh-cooked meals with reputable and recognizable ingredients. There’s no doubt this is a huge improvement, but with only 10 schools’ cafeterias back in action, there’s still a long way to go. [Inquirer]

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Full-Service Cafeterias Cooking Again at Some Philly Public Schools