School Lunches Throughout The Years

3 years ago

1900s: Lunch Was Mostly Eaten At Home (Or Left Without)

Image Source / BRIGHT MagazineThere was a time when school lunches weren't an official thing, or officially provided. Children were often left without, to fend for themselves or having to go home for their lunch. Sometimes students could bring in food from home to give to their teacher for a sort of communal cook, such as one big pot of stew.

Organizations Like The Women's Education and Industrial Union Would Provide School Lunches In Some States

Image Source / PinterestElementary children would be given a meal of crackers, soup and milk. At Boston's Trade School for Girls, for example, their lunch meal would be celery soup with croutons, stuffed tomatoes, baked beans, brown bread, apple shortcake and hot cocoa (which actually doesn't sound like a bad meal at all!).

1910s: Volunteer Groups Would Provide School Lunches

Image Source / RedditVolunteer organizations became the main source of food for school lunches, with low-cost ingredients. By 1912, over 40 cities in the US offered schemes for lunches, like three-cent meals with the New York School Lunch Committee. For this, children would get pea soup, lentils or rice and a piece of bread. For an extra cent, they could have a side, like rice pudding.

1920s: Hot School Lunch Is Served

Image Source / The Everyday GraceThe importance of food actually being hot started to come into play during this era. During this new 'hot lunch' craze, children would be eating meals like hot stews, boiled meats, creamed veg and bread (always a staple). Despite the food being hot, it was once again a concern that the meals weren't very healthy or nutritional.

1930s: Extra Food Was Served Up From Farmers Following The Great Depression

Image Source / CookipediaThe surplus food that came from farms during this period saw a surge in hot meat being served for lunches. Schools began serving more beef and pork, but there was still complaints about more balanced meals being needed. Relief organizations then provided fresh fruit and vegetables soups, along with that staple: peanut butter sandwiches.

1940s: The National School Lunch Act

Image Source / Skinny RecipesIn 1946, the National School Lunch Act was an official law that meant low cost (or even free) school meals would be provided in schools. Although this law meant better access to school lunches, it didn't mean better food. Surplus food from farmers was still depended on, and a lot of food rotted on the way to schools. Recipes during this time included creamed chipped beef, rice and bacon, fruit shortcake and pork hash.

1950s: Private Food Companies Got Involved

Image Source / Daily RecordHot school lunches were now joined with cold school lunches. Many schools would provide a variety of sandwiches, pork and apple salads, tomato wedges and ice cream as a dessert. Private companies quickly wanted a piece of the growing industry. This was also the time that branded lunchboxes became a thing (do you remember your first one?).

Meals Became Protein-Heavy

Image Source / adishaday - WordPress.comWith the post-war food industry dealing with school lunches, school children could begin to expect very protein-heavy lunches. This included meatloaf - not just meatloaf, but cheese meatloaf - sausage shortcake, ham and bean scallop and all finished off with orange coconut custard with cottage cheese.

1960s: Pizzas Become Part Of School Lunches

Image Source / AL.comIt's not very healthy, but we'll all admit that pizza for lunch as a kid was the best thing ever, so the 1960s must have been a blast. Pizza was served alongside new favourites like enchiladas or chili con carne - namely, food from different cultures.

But Traditional Staples Like PBJ Sandwiches Stayed On The Menu

Image Source / Food.comBut of course they couldn't dream of getting rid of a kid favourite like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Children could also enjoy these sandwiches, as well as the classic meals like meatloaf and mash, or fish sticks with tartare sauce. Hard boiled eggs were also produced in mass.

1970s: Fast Food Takes Over

Image Source / Parents TogetherWhen you're trying to feed lots of hungry kids in a small space of time, your first thought is obviously going to be fast food. It's not healthy, but it's quick and easy. We all know it. This meant that kids in the 1970s could now enjoy fish fingers, baked beans, hamburgers, french fries and anything else with the right amount of grease.

One Menu From 1974 Also Included Chiliburgers

Image Source / BURGER ANARCHY - TumblrThe popularity of greasy fast food options continued into the 70s for school lunch menus, and one school in Houston, US, included chiliburgers, hamburgers, fried chicken, buttered corn and fruit gelatin (yeah, like a bit of fruit alongside all that is going to make a difference, but you can't blame them for trying).

The Rise Of School Sweet Treats

Image Source / Tasting TableThe nutritional value of these kinds of foods continued to be a concern, but that didn't stop the tide of unhealthy snacks and food. Vending and food service companies then brought in candy bars and other sweet treats to have alongside the main school meal.

1980s: Ketchup Is Classed As A Vegetable

Image Source / WikipediaBefore you flock to the grocery store and start lining your shelves (even more) with the stuff, no it's not as healthy as this makes it sound. But in 1981, the Federal Lunch Program was well talked-about when it changed nutrition guidelines to show ketchup as a vegetable. It was in response to the early 80's budget cutting.

Processed Food Was At Its Peak

Image Source / Teen VogueThis was also the time when processed food was a must for any school menu - and any child eating from it. School cafeterias could be expected to serve chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers, pizza slices, Jell-O, chocolate pudding and sliced fruit (oh but don't worry, it's covered in syrup).

Processed Food Was Also Making An Appearance In Home-Packed Lunches

Image Source / Wikipedia

Even for those children opting to have their own lunches prepared at home instead of eating from the cafeteria menus, processed and easy food was a must. Children bringing their own lunches would be armed with Fruit Roll-Ups, Handi-Snacks, Capri Sun and - of course - the Lunchable.

Lunchables: The Popular Choice

Image Source / TastemadeWe all remember the excitement of having a school lunchable - it's a school memory staple for a lot of us. It was just so handy - slices of cheese or ham, crackers and a fun way to put them all together. This school treat became hugely popular in the 80s onwards and easily became one of the best selling children's food products of all time.

1990s: Leading Fast Food Operators Were Allowed Into Cafeterias - And Obesity Rates Began To Go Up

Image Source / TripAdvisorMany schools in the 1990s decided to just let in fast food operators to serve their most popular food, instead of trying to replicate the favourites on the menu. This meant that fast food giants like McDonald's and Chick-fil-A were allowed to serve food in cafeterias. Schools wanted to accept the funding, while fast food places wanted to reach out to young people.

Lunch Boxes Became Unhealthier And More Indulgent

Image Source / NerdistBut, of course, for a child eating it, it doesn't seem that much of an issue. All you want at that age is to cram your face with chicken nuggets and sweets. Lunch boxes and bags soon became full with treats like Dunkaroos, Gushers, Teddy Grahams and Squeeze-It.

2000s: Most Schools Are Now Equipped With Vending Machines Selling Sugary Sodas And Unhealthy Snacks

Image Source / CBS NewsMost of us will remember the vending machines in our own school (and how many chocolate bars we bought from them). It seemed like a great idea at the time. But a lot of schools across the country were torn between needing the money from companies like McDonald's, but being all too aware that obesity rates were on the rise.

Menus Were Tweaked To Tackle Weight Gain

Image Source / Healthy School Recipes

School menus were adjusted in the hope of attracting school children to different meals and move them away from fast or processed food. Menus would include dishes like grilled jerk chicken, pork sandwiches and also options of fresh fruit and vegetables as opposed to canned fruit.

The Kids Snack Market Began To Get A More Nutritious Viewpoint

Image Source / The Boston GlobeAs another attempt in the fight against the growing obesity in schools, the kids' snack market was changed for healthier options when companies like Stonyfield Farm and Annie's wanted to provide natural and organic options in schools.

2010s: More Fresh And Healthy Options Are Available

Image Source / Civil EatsIn 2010, President Obama signed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. This meant that school lunches were required to be more nutritious. And First Lady Obama got involved, too - with her own Let's Move campaign, she put a focus on nutrition and fitness for school children.

Celebrity Chefs Put A Focus On Healthy School Lunches, Too

Image Source / The GuardianOver in the UK, celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver also began promoting a more healthy lifestyle when it came to school lunches. Some schools even had their own vegetable gardens to provide fresh produce. The options now available and being served up would seem strange compared to decades ago.

2020s: Fast Food Options Are Still On The Menu

Image Source / Melanie CooksTo be fair, it's very difficult to try and force a young child to eat healthily, which is probably why schools like in Houston now offer best of both - a roasted summer squash and fresh broccoli option, or you can go for pizza, cheeseburger or chicken nuggets. (But the problem is, which kid is going to choose broccoli over pizza?).

But Some Schools Try To Provide Best Of Both

Image Source / BRIGHT MagazineSchools have gotten more involved with agriculture, such as using their own farmed food and growing own vegetables which can then be served as healthy options. This school serves up a beef burger, but it's locally produced meat on a healthier whole wheat bun, and it's also combined with sprouts and cantaloupe.

School Options Have Come A Long Way: From 'Get What You're Given' To A Full Deli Display

Image Source / BRIGHT MagazineThis deli display from a school in Virginia is an example of just how far school lunch options have come. Not only with the menu itself, but the fact that children can pick and choose what they would like from the fresh deli shelves - rather than there only being one set (and unhealthy) meal at a low price.

But There's Still A Long Way To Go

Image Source / BuzzFeedJust because the nutritional value of school lunches is now being focused on, with many more options, that doesn't mean that schools across the US still aren't serving up some shocking meals. This was a school meal served to special needs kids in New York City: a slice of bread, some chips and questionable beans.

And Some Efforts To Serve Healthy Food Are A Bit Ridiculous

Image Source / BuzzFeedIn this meal's defence, it's a free school lunch - and free food isn't always easy to provide. This could be a well-received meal for a school student otherwise without food. But it's a very small portion of a chunky potato, fish sauce and a pile of grated carrot.

But The Chicken Nuggets Are Proving They're A Lunchtime Favourite, No Matter The Decade

Image Source / BuzzFeedOne thing that refuses to go away is the chicken nugget, clearly. No matter how old you are, there's no doubt the nuggies still have a certain appeal... and if you're a school kid, even more so. The only problem with these ones is that these specific nuggets don't look very appetising...

Less Time To Eat Usually Means A Healthier Option Is Selected

Image source / WDETSince the 1990s, studies have shown that children who had less time to eat lunch were more likely to choose the healthy option from the school cafeteria. They tended to pick a sandwich, salad, vegetables and fruit, together with water.

Pupils From Poor Backgrounds Would Fill Up On Anything Stodgy

Image source GuiltyStuffBecause around 25% of Americans were living below the poverty line, during both the 1980s and 1990s, this led to school kids cramming as much stodge as they could into their mouths, basically to fill up. Often this would be burger and fries, cookies and cakes, washed down with the only healthy item on the menu, concentrated orange juice.

The Stark Reality Of School Kids' Eating Patterns

Image source / FoodRevBecause many families struggled to put a filling dinner on the table for their children back in the day, due to the Great Depression and further recessions over the years, school lunches may have been the only time their kids could eat a substantial meal and something hot during the winter months.

Ohio Took It Upon Itself To Decrease Sodium Levels In School Lunches

Image source / PinterestOver the past few years, Cincinnati public schools have devised creative solutions to enable pupils to eat healthier and reducing sodium levels, salt to you and me, they are making their mark successfully. Kids flavour their own food with choices such as lemon pepper, cayenne, red pepper flakes and parsley.

As Of Now, They Have Their Own Salad Bar Rules

Image source RedditSchool kids must take at least one main fruit or vegetable dish from that section of the salad bar and at least three different types of vegetables and no more than four. Portion sizes are not regulated and these rules ensure a nutritional meal is consumed and it's more filling.

Going Back To 1943

Image source / NYTSouth Carolina was the first state, in 1943, to pass a school lunch act where meals were supervised in public schools. Here are some hungry pupils receiving a plate of nutritious food at Indian Land school in Lancaster, South Carolina.

1962: President Kennedy Introduces National School Lunch Week

Image source The AtlanticIn 1962 President John F. Kennedy created National School Lunch Week to promote healthy school lunches for children. It was introduced so both children and teenagers could make healthy choices. It was also put in place to be a reminder why funding for this program was so important.

What did President Obama Do To School Lunches?

Image source NYT

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was brought in by President Obama to change nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program. It stipulated that schools serve more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low fat milk.

1966: The School Breakfast Program Begins

Image source / Stacker

Another aspect of the Child Nutrition Act, signed in 1966 by President Johnson, was the establishment of the School Breakfast Program. Day care centers and public schools across the country offered low cost or free breakfasts for those students in need. The menu included cereal, yogurt, pastries and fresh fruit.

It Was Also The Year Of The Special Milk Program

Image source StackerThis program provided pupils with free milk with every meal. That meal usually consisted of meatloaf and mashed potatoes, fish sticks and chilli con carne. Of course there was the favorite sandwich of peanut butter and jelly on offer.

1995: Bring In The Department Of Defense, Reporting For Vegetable Duty

Image source / Harvard Chan SchoolBy 1995 the nutrition situation had become so bad that the Department of Defence were issued the task of providing freshly grown fruits and vegetables to American public schools. This move made a real positive impact and led the way to a healthier diet.

2014: Smart Snacks in School Standards Are Implemented

Image source ' Robert Woods Johns

Another recent set of regulations, the Smart Snacks In School Standards, was devised around nutritional values of drinks and foods sold in school which were outside the federal meal program. This meant placing limits on fat, sugar, sodium and calories with the objective being to lower obesity levels.

2018: Trump Rolls Back The Nutrition Standards

Image source Forbes

President Trump, In the middle of his single term in office, rolled back Obama-era regulations regarding sodium content and the inclusion of whole grains in school lunches. Students reverted back to higher calorie foods and less nutritious breakfast options.

Why Did Trump Take This Course Of Action?

Image source / USA Today.comJust when students had got used to less sodium, lower fats and more nutritious elements to their school lunches. President Trump reversed all the good work put in place by Obama. The reasoning behind it was that kids didn't like the healthier options as much as the original choice and it was causing a lot of wasted food.

1970 -2005: Boston Cooks For Boston

Image source / FoodServeBetween 1970 and 2005 Boston used a central commissary to prepare and send out meals to the school district for no less than 35 years. Students would receive their lunch already prepped and packaged from the commissary. In 2005 it was outsourced as the process became too old fashioned.

1935: Lunch with Mickey

Image source / Rojar Niman

The government and activists weren't the only ones who wanted to get involved in what kids were eating at school for their lunch. The very first themed lunch box was released in 1935, with Micky Mouse on the front of it. Mickey is pictured carrying his school books.

Barbarians At The Gate Has Now Been Declared A Grave Error

Image source PinterestDuring the 1990s, when the fast food industry was allowed to open up within schools, it was done to make life easier for the catering staff employed to make school meals and to give kids what they wanted. Unfortunately, the only thing it gave students was the risk of obesity and it has only been admitted recently what a terrible decision it was.

1970s: Watery Mac 'n' Cheese

Image source/ Insider

Americans, of all ages, love mac 'n' cheese but they wouldn't have been so enthusiastic if they were served up this watery substance. Maybe the garlic bread would soak up the 1970s school lunch choice. Can't see any salad on that plate either!

If You Thought The '70s Were Bad, Take A Peek At The '80s!

Image source QuoraFood choices around America were taken to a new level in the 1980s with the inventive chicken kiev and delicious snacks such as Hostess Pudding Pies and Keebler's Magic Middles. One school lunch that was piled high with cholesterol was the cheese taco and side order of Doritos.

No Sign Of One Of Your 5-A-Day in the 2000s

Students were encouraged and sometimes forced to include vegetables or salad with their school lunches. Those who didn't want to partake might put up with a few spoons of sweetcorn. However, looks like this kid got away with it with their very unappetising meal.

Image source TubeTrial

1990s: Bologna Sandwiches With Cheese

When the average American housewife was trying to make ends meet, out would come the processed meat to make a bologna sandwich. It was fried in fat to make it crispy and served up in doorsteps of bread. When schools were trying to make the books balance, they offered the same sandwich.

Bringing In Your Own Packed Lunch Could Make You SO Popular

Image source / BuzzFeedIf you weren't a popular student, you may have had to take drastic measures and there was one sure fire way of doing it. Packing a pack of Gushers in your lunchbox would have made you cafeteria royalty! The fruit snack was so popular, it was off the scale and so was the commercial!

Yogurt Pots In The 1990s

Image source / Comedy.comThere was an explosion of new yogurts in the 1990s and it even became cool to eat them at school without getting a weird look from your fellow students. Sprinkl'ins yogurt came with its own pack of sprinkles which was the highlight of an otherwise boring school day.

Crispitos Are The Pride Of Alabama

Image source / Getty ImagesSimilar to a rolled taco, this mouth watering cheesy, meaty delight, which answers to the name of Crispito, is the most popular food on the menu in school cafeterias in Alabama. Healthy option lost its place to the deep fried, crispy, almost orange, school lunch.

Rectangular Pizza Was The Way To Go

Image source Brownie Bites BlogMany kids first had pizza when it was served up at school for their lunch and most thought rectangular was the normal shape. It looked good but often tasted soggy. However, it was a no brainer against a chicken sandwich and salad.

Breakfast Club Is A Great Idea But Sometimes The Food ....

Image source NYTWhen the Breakfast Club was first introduced at school, it was a godsend for lots of parents. It meant their kids could have a hot meal to start the day, maybe something they could not afford to do themselves. Having said that, you'd have to be very hungry to eat such a bland breakfast which was barely cooked, according to the colour!

1980s/1990s: Why Nutrition Took A Back Seat

Image source / BuzzFeedAfter years of trying to educate students about nutrition and how eating healthier was great for mind and body, the fatty, fried foods started to creep back in and because most kids preferred them, it was more cost effective as there were no leftovers of this type of food.

Are School Lunches Safe To Eat?

Image source / EdSource

In 1996, bacteria was found at five schools in Sacramento from spaghetti served in the cafeteria and 400 pupils became ill. Two years later, 2,300 students got sick from burritos prepared at a plant in Chicago. That same year, E.coli affected 12 children in Washington State, leaving them all very ill.

There Are So Many More Vegetarian Students Than Ever

Image source RankerIt's hard to imagine that twenty years ago, there were very few child vegetarians but it's a different story these days and schools have to cater for their requirements. There should be at last one vegi alternative on the menu and preferably two, making them look as appetising as the meat alternative.

2020 To The Present: The Stigma Is Disappearing Regarding Free School Meals

Image source Fox News

Fortunately, the stigma attached to free school lunches is fast disappearing. At one time a child could be bullied when their peers found out of their entitlement but new methods of claiming this benefit has meant it's all now done very subtly.