5 things: District adds charge to unpaid meal accounts

Each Friday I compile a list that highlights five things you probably missed in the news that week and why you should care about them.

Here’s your list for the week of Aug. 20:

1. District adds charge to unpaid meal accounts

Unpaid meal accounts are a huge problem for many school districts (see item No. 2). But one district in Pennsylvania is using a new tactic to reduce those accounts. The Ellwood City Area School District is adding a 0.5 percent monthly finance charge to unpaid meal accounts if they haven’t been paid up after three letters have been sent. Under the new district policy, a notice is sent to a home after an outstanding balance of $6.75 is reached, followed by two additional letters if the account is still not paid. However, once the outstanding balance reaches $25, the finance charge is applied. The district said many families were waiting to pay up on the accounts until students needed transcripts sent for college applications. That often meant the nutrition department was waiting several years for unpaid meal accounts to be paid.

Read more: Ellwood City Area School District adding finance charges to delinquent cafeteria accounts

2. Start of school year brings more issues with unpaid meal accounts

A Florida student says she was denied a meal due to unpaid charges carried over from the previous year. The student was told she owed 15 cents and because she had no money on her, her lunch was taken away. The student had applied for free and reduced meals, but the application had not yet been processed.

Read more: Mother says daughter denied school lunch because she was short by 15 cents

3. New food waste projection released

A new report by the Boston Consulting Group estimated that annual food loss and waste will reach 2.1 billion tons by 2030. That equates to $1.5 trillion. Currently, 1.6 billion tons of food waste and loss are generated each year, which amounts to $1.2 trillion.

Read more: Tackling the 1.6-billion-ton food loss and waste crisis 

4. Report: Eating school meals linked to better dietary intake  
A new study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that the regular eating of school meals resulted in better dietary intake than not regularly eating school meals.

Read more: Eating School Meals Daily Is Associated with Healthier Dietary Intakes: The Healthy Communities Study

5. Even the doors at Apple’s new cafeteria are stunning
Apple’s new campus is, well, exactly what you’d expect from the tech giant. But the cafeteria doors are nothing short of amazing. Check out this clip posted to social media by Apple CEO Tim Cook of the floor-to-ceiling doors opening to the outside.

Read more: Check Out Apple’s Giant Cafeteria Doors Opening

Bonus: SNA survey shows increases in taste tests, pre-lunch recess

Contact Becky Schilling at [email protected].
Follow her on Twitter: @bschilling_FM