Sneaky Snack Cart

Recently I was talking with parents at the monthly school PTSO meeting. There was a request from the Cafeteria Manager for a volunteer to run the snack cart two days a week. Nearly everyone was surprised that such a thing even existed. The cart sells Pop Tarts, Fruit Rollups, beef jerky, bagged chips and popcorn, granola bars, and occasionally brownies or cookies. First through fifth grade students can use their lunch money from the school lunch account or pay cash. Most items are $1 or 2/$1.

One mom expressed feelings of the cart being kept a secret from parents - and it is unless you have been in the cafeteria on the day it rolls out. But the kids are completely aware of it - and some use it as their lunch, tossing the FDA approved stuff right into the trash.

The discussion came down to two things: if there is a snack cart, parents should be made aware of it from the beginning. If they are putting money in their kid's lunch account, they need to know that it might be used for snacks, along with regular lunch. And they need to know what is on the cart - none of it is really a treat; most of it is simply junk food, completely processed and full of preservatives and food dyes. A fresh baked cookie or brownie, now that's a snack that we can support.

The school principal at the meeting added that it is a money maker - but at what cost? Aren't we telling kids to eat healthy, choose fresh foods and all that? And here's the bigger picture: the food they are served as a lunch is already a "snack food" such as nachos. Yes, nachos! Corn chips, processed cheese sauce, optional refried beans and ground beef - and I guess the jalapeno is a vegetable (or fruit?). Or how about the pretzel... again with processed cheese sauce - that's a mall or carnival food - not a school lunch!

A simple discussion like this can create a great change for our kids. There is now a quiet movement to shut down the cart. But it goes beyond that - we need better lunch choices. It's been on the back burner for too long.