by KIM HILSENBECK
New school lunch rules aren’t just for entrees and veggies. Ashley Haley of Southwest Food Service Excellence said the rules also apply to a la carte items – the extras students can buy at the lunch counter, such as chips, pickles, yogurt, pudding, ice cream and cookies.
But Haley says Hays CISD already made changes to those offerings. For example, she said Hays CISD schools offer whole-grain cookies, low-fat dairy items and trans fat-free chips.
However, some parents with the Parent Teacher Association at Carpenter Hill Elementary are organizing an effort to have many a la carte items removed from the school. PTA member Melissa Frensley said a representative from the food service vendor will attend a PTA meeting on Feb. 21 to discuss parent concerns and options.
“Parents may not realize their kids are getting cookies, pudding and ice cream every day,” Frensley said. “And because the choice is left up to the kids, I often see kids eating an ice cream and two cookies for lunch, then throwing away a full tray of healthy food.”
Frensley eats lunch with her children several times a month. Most days, she said, they bring a sack lunch.
Frensley said parents may not realize they can block their child’s lunch account so even if mom or dad isn’t at school, their choices are then limited. But perhaps, says Frensley, many parents aren’t aware of what’s offered on the a la carte menu.
“Just because they serve low-fat items doesn’t mean they are low sugar,” Frensley said.
