Should schools change their quality of lunches? Schools should change school lunches for multiple reasons. More than 30 million students trudge through the school lunch lines, and typically hate it because of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which took effect in 2012. Changing what students knew and looked forward to in lunch. Lunches are now mandated to be lower in calories, sodium and flavor.

USDA thought school lunches are an improvement from what meals were like before the Act was enforced. But the school lunches now aren’t any better, because of low budgets, rolled-back standards, and in order to have ingredients with longer shelf lives, school cafeterias often opt for processed food that are high in preservatives. Because of this students have higher risk of developing diabetes, kidney stones, bone loss, cancer, and heart disease.As much as the USDA advertises that our school lunches are much better for students it doesn’t change the fact that School food just isn’t good for a students brain. Unhealthy lunches decrease brain power and can also cause memory loss. Poor eating habits can also affect a child’s sleeping patterns, which may influence the student’s behavior and academic performance.

Imagine going to school and actually looking forward to lunch with the mindset that school lunch is actually good. It may seem super hard to maintain nutrition and nutrition but schools could successfully do it by considering our sources and enrolling into more farm to school programs, increasing gardens in schools, and source health-focused and sustainable foods. Improve ingredients, adding more salad bars, switch up ingredients, and get inspiration from around the world. Think beyond food by defining rules and expectations for students by using surveys.