Photos of school lunches in New York shocked parents

The man's post sparked discussion on Facebook after he shared a photo of his teenage child having lunch in a cafeteria. Chris Vangellow, father of four, said Fox News about this post. His publication caught the attention of parents in upstate New York.

Vangellow said all of his children attend the Parishville-Hopkinton Central School District and his 16-year-old son has been sending him photos of the meals he's been served at school in recent months.

On January 12, Vangelou posted pictures on Facebook of the food his son was served for lunch: four chicken nuggets, carrots, rice, and a carton of low-fat chocolate milk. His other child didn't have "dry tasteless carrots" because apparently he didn't have any when he came for his lunch break.

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"He started complaining that the lunch was 'not enough,'" Vangelou said. One of my children also sent me the same photo. I knew that they were going to play, so I thought: “If there are children playing basketball, this set of products is critically small for them.” Yes, we live in a not very wealthy area… some children rely on school [for lunch]".

“They complained that because lunches are now free for everyone, the portions have been reduced,” Vangelou wrote on Facebook.

Official response

In a statement regarding Wangellow's publication, Superintendent William E. Collins shared the public announcement on the Parishville-Hopkinton Central School District website.

“A worried parent’s Facebook post about school lunches in Parishville and Hopkinton went viral this week,” Collins wrote. “The expressed concerns clearly resonated with students and parents, as evidenced by the number of comments and reposts.”

Collins said the school is contracting through BOCES (Boards for Shared Educational Services) for procurement food.

Collins recently announced that he and the cafeteria manager plan to work with a group of students, parents, and health committee representatives. They'll figure out how to make lunches more appetizing while "while meeting the stringent requirements of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National School Lunch Program" without increasing costs.

“We have some great farmers in our school district who have expressed interest in having local farm fresh produce on the students' plates,” the superintendent explained.

Vangelou said his son plays sports after school and usually has lunch around 11 am. Although the school lunch is free, he gives his children extra money in case they remain hungry and want to buy a second lunch or a snack at the local store.

Toddler portions are served to middle school students

In the comments section of Wangelow's post, a Parishville-Hopkinton student shared a photo of the same lunch. She wrote: “I didn’t want dry carrots and overcooked rice.

Another follower commented, "I've been cooking for toddlers in kindergarten for a couple of years and these are toddler portions."

A woman working at the school does not agree with them: “It has nothing to do with the school, portions are regulated. I work in a school, this is 56g protein, 56g grains, 1/2 cup fruit, 1/2 cup veggies for elementary and middle school kids. A little more for high school students. It has nothing to do with the school and/or their budgets."

In a statement on the County website, Collins said students are allowed one more serving of fruit or vegetables. They are also allowed one extra nugget from the amount seen in the photo of Vangellow's son.

“…however, this does not change the message that many students and parents are unhappy with school lunches,” Collins wrote.

The federally funded National School Lunch Program (NSLP) operates in public and non-profit private schools and children's boarding schools,” the NSLP website says. In 2016, NSLP reached 30,4 million children nationwide.

The NSLP website states that the program provides "balanced, inexpensive, or free lunches for children every school day."

A USDA spokesman said the agency is aware of the challenges school food administrators are facing in light of the pandemic. The agency provides "flexibility, resources and practical support" to ensure proper nutrition for schoolchildren.

Vangellow said he and his son signed up for Collins' group called School Lunches Reimagined. Its participants will discuss how to make dinners more appetizing, according to the electronic registration sheet. True, Vangellow is not sure when the volunteers will be selected.