Florida school districts spice up menus to keep students interested

Schools in Orange and Seminole counties announced they’ll serve mostly antibiotic-free chicken this year, but that’s not the only change students may notice. Gone are the days when schools treated students as a captive audience during the lunch hour.

Seminole County staff says the switch to antibiotic-free chicken is part of a larger effort to improve service in the cafeterias (ahem, “restaurants” as they call them). Cafeteria workers refer to their young customers as their “guests,” who have other options (hello, brown bag).

That means frozen pizzas are out. Freshly baked whole grain crusts are in.

“They think what we have in our restaurant is the same square pizza that their parents ate,” said Richard Miles, coordinator of nutrition and wellness for Seminole’s dining services department.  “This is not the case.”

In Orange, students will find a new macaroni and cheese recipe and a new selection of breads that includes pretzel rolls and ciabatta.  Allowing students to test the new items before they arrive on the serving line is essential to making sure they want to eat lunch at school, said Lora Gilbert, senior director of food and nutrition services for Orange schools.

If we don’t get it right in our testing, there is going to be a lot of leftovers and waste,” she said.

Districts across the country are serving up healthier fare as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the national school lunch and breakfast programs has increased the amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains cafeterias must serve and clamped down on fat, sodium, calories and sugar.