Chicago School Bans the Brown Bag Lunch

Throughout elementary school my mom wouldn't ever let me buy lunch at school. It's not that it was too expensive, because at just over $1.00 per lunch, it was downright cheap. But rather, my mom felt the meals were unhealthy and who could blame her from wanting to control my intake of chicken fingers, microwave pizzas, and chocolate milk? Considering my childhood, it seemed a bit counterintuitive that one Chicago school banned the brown bag lunch altogether.

According to a story in the Chicago Tribune, Little Village Academy on Chicago's West Side, banned packed lunches from home. Unless students have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria.

Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to avoid the unhealthy lunches that students may bring.

"Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school," Carmona said. "It's about the nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It's milk versus a Coke. But with allergies and any medical issue, of course, we would make an exception."

This could potentially be a good thing if the lunches included nutrient dense fruit, vegetables, lean or plant-based protein sources, and well, they tasted good, but it seems kids aren't always fond of the meals. The problem is at Little Academy, it seems many of the kids throw their lunches away uneaten because they don't find the food appealing. Wasted food is wasted money and Little Academy is a public school. Some parents are fans of the program and some aren't, but the school stands by the quality of its lunches.

According to the story another school took a different stance that seems to be working:

At Claremont Academy Elementary School on the South Side [of Chicago], officials allow packed lunches but confiscate any snacks loaded with sugar or salt. (They often are returned after school.) Principal Rebecca Stinson said that though students may not like it, she has yet to hear a parent complain.