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Mayor Olivia Chow's Toronto

afransen said:
I like how some countries handle school lunches, like Japan.

If it is going to be the US approach of providing hyperpalatable, ultraprocessed foods like pizza, tater tots, etc. I think we'd be better off with parents providing lunches as at least some kids would get healthy food.
Click to expand...

For those intrigued by @afransen 's reference to the Japanese School Lunch program, here is a great explainer with pics:

www.japanesefoodguide.com

Japanese School Lunch: Why It's Awesome and One Reason It's Not

Japanese school lunch in photos over an entire year. First-hand experience of what the school lunch system in Japan gets right and one major thing it doesn't.
www.japanesefoodguide.com www.japanesefoodguide.com

For a comparison, consider school lunches in France (the program is regionally devolved, pretty much universal with local tweaks)

inspirelle.com

Why French School Lunches Outshine Other Cafeteria Meals | INSPIRELLE

Meet the expat mom who decided to visit French public school cafeterias to understand why kids in France like eating healthier and greener.
inspirelle.com inspirelle.com
 
afransen said:
I like how some countries handle school lunches, like Japan.

If it is going to be the US approach of providing hyperpalatable, ultraprocessed foods like pizza, tater tots, etc. I think we'd be better off with parents providing lunches as at least some kids would get healthy food.
Click to expand...
I would like to assume that our public school board would provide healthy food for our kids...
 
Towered said:
I would like to assume that our public school board would provide healthy food for our kids...
Click to expand...
That would be an optimistic take.

When I was in high school, our cafeteria did brisk business selling an entire plate of fries (probably the equivalent of 2-3 McD 'large' fries), which was among the cheapest 'meals'. You could alternatively buy a sad side salad for like 3x the price.
 
afransen said:
That would be an optimistic take.

When I was in high school, our cafeteria did brisk business selling an entire plate of fries (probably the equivalent of 2-3 McD 'large' fries), which was among the cheapest 'meals'. You could alternatively buy a sad side salad for like 3x the price.
Click to expand...
High School cafeterias were often used as basic skills training programs for students (especially those with special needs) and profits went to subsidizing those programs as well as bringing in extra money for the school.

That said, if your goal is to make extra money for the school, you're going to sell what people are going to want to buy. Kids' tastes have changed quite recently, and they do tend to want healthier options, but you're still likely to sell more fries than crudité plates.

Soda bans and other initiatives shifted focus to requiring a more balanced and overall healthy menu, but it's also around the time that budgets really started getting cut. I could be wrong, but I believe now in Ontario we have sole-source contract with Chartwells (Compass Group) for all institutions with production kitchens. Schools without dedicated kitchen facilities have other options, like their own snack programs or calling in places like Real Food for Real Kids here in Toronto.

If you've ever been to a venue or attraction and it has a Pizza Pizza selling suspiciously small slices for absolutely insane prices, it's likely run by Chartwells (as Compass Group). They have a partnership with Pizza Pizza (among others), so outside of K-12 schools (where I believe they're restricted from doing so) they often pop one into whatever facility they're in. Pizza is cheap to produce with a larger profit margin than many other foods. So you get Pizza Pizza's barely edible pies made even worse!

Funny thing, even George Brown's Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts (AKA, culinary school)'s cafeteria is run by Chartwells, producing absolute institutional dreck. Makes sense, huh? It annoys the hell out of the instructors, but there's nothing they can do because it's the government's decision. The St. George campus is huge, and culinary school labour would be pretty much free as part of food production courses. Culinary students could easily produce better, cheaper food for the entire campus but can't.
 
My old high school doesn't even have a cafeteria anymore. I think they got rid of it not long after i graduated. The last year i went there they did the healthy menu options, which the kids hated, drove them to the nearby Mcdonalds and Pizza Pizza at lunch. They also got rid of the reusable plastic cups and plates. You payed a deposit of 25 cents on every reusable cup or plate. You would get your 25 cents back when you return the plates and cups. They switched to styrofoam food containers and paper plates and plastic soda bottles. Horrible for the envoriment, and were left all over the school yard.

I remember in the mornings how busy the cafeteria was. Huge line up of kids getting breakfast bagels or bacon and eggs. Lunch time was either made up sandwiches or burger and fries or chicken burgers. I remember the chicken pita's and Greek salads, Made by some of the old Greek ladies who worked there. Fridays was always the fish and chips special. Not healthiest food. But it was cheaper than the near by fast food joints and made the school money i guess.
 
zang said:
High School cafeterias were often used as basic skills training programs for students (especially those with special needs) and profits went to subsidizing those programs as well as bringing in extra money for the school.

That said, if your goal is to make extra money for the school, you're going to sell what people are going to want to buy. Kids' tastes have changed quite recently, and they do tend to want healthier options, but you're still likely to sell more fries than crudité plates.

Soda bans and other initiatives shifted focus to requiring a more balanced and overall healthy menu, but it's also around the time that budgets really started getting cut. I could be wrong, but I believe now in Ontario we have sole-source contract with Chartwells (Compass Group) for all institutions with production kitchens. Schools without dedicated kitchen facilities have other options, like their own snack programs or calling in places like Real Food for Real Kids here in Toronto.

If you've ever been to a venue or attraction and it has a Pizza Pizza selling suspiciously small slices for absolutely insane prices, it's likely run by Chartwells (as Compass Group). They have a partnership with Pizza Pizza (among others), so outside of K-12 schools (where I believe they're restricted from doing so) they often pop one into whatever facility they're in. Pizza is cheap to produce with a larger profit margin than many other foods. So you get Pizza Pizza's barely edible pies made even worse!

Funny thing, even George Brown's Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts (AKA, culinary school)'s cafeteria is run by Chartwells, producing absolute institutional dreck. Makes sense, huh? It annoys the hell out of the instructors, but there's nothing they can do because it's the government's decision. The St. George campus is huge, and culinary school labour would be pretty much free as part of food production courses. Culinary students could easily produce better, cheaper food for the entire campus but can't.
Click to expand...

When I went to Borden in Scarborough, they had a room called the Maple Leaf Room. This was a dining room manned by students from the schools cooking course during holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It provided much needed funds to the school and gave a holiday twist to the normal cafeteria fare.

When I went to Birchmount, we had crap. Absolute crap.

At Birchmount, they had a cafeteria where students could buy Poutine, Burgers, etc along with things like pop, cookies, etc. I distinctly recall my girlfriend at the time walking into the kitchen at 8:30 am to get a bagel with hot chocolate. It was garbage but we were teenagers and that is what teenagers ate back then.

Mind you.. I come from the Pepsi Points generation. That reminds me.. I want my Harrier Jet!
 
Richard White said:
At Birchmount, they had a cafeteria where students could buy Poutine, Burgers, etc along with things like pop, cookies, etc. I distinctly recall my girlfriend at the time walking into the kitchen at 8:30 am to get a bagel with hot chocolate. It was garbage but we were teenagers and that is what teenagers ate back then.
Click to expand...

I went to a small town high school, and that was our cafeteria too. I'm pretty sure the gravy for the poutine was made by throwing yesterday's leftover burgers in a blender with water and corn starch.
 
zang said:
If you've ever been to a venue or attraction and it has a Pizza Pizza selling suspiciously small slices for absolutely insane prices, it's likely run by Chartwells (as Compass Group). They have a partnership with Pizza Pizza (among others), so outside of K-12 schools (where I believe they're restricted from doing so) they often pop one into whatever facility they're in. Pizza is cheap to produce with a larger profit margin than many other foods. So you get Pizza Pizza's barely edible pies made even worse!
Click to expand...
I swear this Pizza Pizza is the only good Pizza Pizza slice you can get. Also likely the same thing at sporting events which is similarly much better than the regular product. Not that its actually high quality pizza but somehow its better sitting in that glass case for god knows how long than buying a whole fresh pizza from a Pizza Pizza store.
 
I 100% agree that children (and adults) will learn better if they are not hungry but question whether the SCHOOL BOARD should be responsible for feeding them. If they are to be responsible, then they need to be properly funded for this work.
 
DSC said:
I 100% agree that children (and adults) will learn better if they are not hungry but question whether the SCHOOL BOARD should be responsible for feeding them. If they are to be responsible, then they need to be properly funded for this work.
Click to expand...

This is actually quite common in the US. Many school districts down south actually provide lunch for students. Some teachers on Tiktok have shown the meals they purchased from the cafeteria which are not all that bad.

I remember when I was in Grade 5, my teacher Ms Lyons at Walter Perry Jr PS in Scarborough made us Waffles every morning. She paid for them as she wanted to ensure we ate a proper breakfast every morning. Mind you this was 1997.
 
DSC said:
I 100% agree that children (and adults) will learn better if they are not hungry but question whether the SCHOOL BOARD should be responsible for feeding them. If they are to be responsible, then they need to be properly funded for this work.
Click to expand...
If the child is in the care of the school board, that should certainly include feeding them.
 
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