As it turns out, removing chocolate milk from the menu was only the beginning for Los Angeles government schools. Who here thinks that kids are going to eat spinach tortellini in butternut squash after their chicken nuggets are taken away? Apparently the Food Service Director does, because that was listed on the new menu, along with sushi rolls:
A menu overhaul is underway that will mean fewer meals that resemble fast food and more vegetarian offerings. Spinach tortellini in butternut squash sauce and California sushi rolls, along with many ethnic foods, are to be added.
Corn dogs, chicken nuggets and other breaded items are out, said Dennis Barrett, food services director.
Megan Bomba, a project coordinator with Occidental College's Urban and Environmental Policy Institute, agreed with the move, saying "the meal needs to be better, not [that] we need to keep chocolate milk" to attract students to the cafeteria, she said.
The menu proposed for fall sounds more appealing and sophisticated, she added.
Sophistication? In an elementary school lunch menu? If I were a parent, I wouldn't want my kids going anywhere near sushi rolls in a school cafeteria. One more example of (likely well-intentioned) top down planning that can't go anywhere good.