WOODBURY — As the clock strikes 12, students run down to the lunch room, enjoy their meals with their friends – but they often find themselves still hungry.
School lunch quality may satisfy students, but some feel the quantity isn´t always there.
Sophomore Cashlyn Medonis, who buys lunch every day, wishes Nonnewaug had more food to offer on his tray.
“The lunch portions are way too small for us. I find myself still hungry after lunch every day,” Medonis said. “I think we would benefit from another side along with our lunches.”
Maddox Poythress, another sophomore, agrees with the idea of adding more food to the plate.
“Buying school meals is expensive over time and there’s not a lot of food,” Poythress explains. “Kids are always asking me for food, [and] sometimes I’m asking other people for food when I get lunch at school. I prefer food from home because the quality is much better and I can get as much as I want.”
Nonnewaug High School cafeteria manager Kosta Lefkimiatis shared details about what goes on behind the scenes to put together school lunches.
“The portions are given to us by the United States Department of Agriculture,” Lefkimiatis said. “When students come up to me and say the portions are small, most of the time their lunch is not complete in the tray. They sometimes only have the three components, which technically is a complete lunch, but students are entitled to two more components of their choice.”
A full school lunch meal is a five-component meal, and some students aren’t aware of the extra servings they should take. According to the USDA, a high school lunch meal must be over 750 calories but less than 850 calories. A five-component lunch consists of a dairy, fruit, vegetable, a grain, and a meat or an alternative.
These rules are meant to help maintain a nutritious lunch while staying within a budget.
“The budget plays a big role,” Lefkimiatis said. “Luckily, being a part of the school lunch program, if we use approved vendors, there is a break on the price, as opposed to other private restaurants or food service establishments.”
Medonis says he does take the full complement of servings, though, and he’s still hungry.
“I do get a complete lunch,” Medonis said, “usually two extra fruit cups.”
