School lunches on Long Island

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School lunches across Long Island

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What the kids have to say

We interviewed students about their school lunches. (Class grades and ages are from last year.)

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Lunch at the private Waldorf School

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Lunch at the private Ross School

Multimedia

District school lunch participation rates (PDF)

Lean funding, fatty food

Why school cafeterias have little choice but to offer meals that are less than ideal.

Kids in poorer districts tend to eat healthier

It's a little known paradox on Long Island: Students in school districts with more youngsters who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch tend to eat healthier in the cafeteria.

Schools stick with pizza but make it healthier

Few students were waiting for teriyaki chicken sandwiches at Long Beach Senior High School. Yet the pizza line spilled beyond the cafeteria's doors.

More than just money

Busy families, junk-food culture make healthy eating a challenge.

Despite challenges, schools push for healthier meals

Despite financial crunches, outdated federal standards and children who simply think vegetables are yucky, Long Island school food directors strive to make improvements.

School lunch budgets rely on sales of meals

School food-service directors say serving cafeteria meals means managing budgets where every penny counts.

USDA slow in updating standards for school lunches

Department of Agriculture standards for school meals haven't been upgraded since the mid-1990s.

Federal directive requires school wellness policy

In 2004, Congress required all school districts that participate in federally funded meal programs to develop wellness policies addressing nutrition and physical activity.

A look at the state of American children's health

An estimated 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2-19 are overweight, according to a national 2003-04 study.

Critic grades the menus

Newsday restaurant reviewer Joan Reminick sampled the food at 3 Long Island school cafeterias. Here's what she found.

Key findings on Long Island school lunch menus

Newsday examined hundreds of Long Island school lunch menus, budgets and vending machine contracts and spoke to dozens of school food professionals and leaders.

Vending machines source of revenue for schools

Long Island schools are getting sports scoreboards, computer software and tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for exclusive rights to sell Pepsi and Coca Cola products in vending machines and at sporting events.

S. Huntington puts vending profits into cafeteria

South Huntington's food service director figured out a way to put vending profits back into the cafeteria while allowing the district to benefit, too.

What we found out

Lean budgets, fatty foods, loads of snacks

Experts weigh in on changing food

The heat is on school food to improve.

What parents can do

Tips for evaluating cafeteria offerings.

Baker's low-fat muffins hot item on campus

Grassroots Bake Shop - whose sky-blue walls, a painted sun and butternut squash soup make it a cozy neighborhood hangout - is a short walk away from North Shore High School in Glen Head.

November 2, 2008

Healthier meals served at pricier LI private schools

Typical lunchtime fare includes quinoa, bean cakes, Swiss chard, fresh beets, tofu, tempeh, kimchee.

Islip school food program wins $5,000 state award

Feta Cheddar salad, tomato bisque soup and soft tortilla shells filled with chopped turkey, mozzarella, garlic, celery and carrots are among the food choices available in Islip schools, dishes made from scratch using surplus ingredients from the Department of Agriculture.