The Packed Lunch Debate

American schools are under a pressure to serve the children of America now more than ever. On top of trying to create a learning curve to brighten our country’s future, while not leaving any children behind (with the 'No Child Left Behind Act'), the new stress of nutrition has been added to the undoubtedly long list of impossible tasks that United States public schools must accomplish. While there are several ways of implementing changes to the school-served lunches, changing the minds of parents who pack their children’s lunch can be a whole new daunting task. With the U.S. getting more and more parents working instead of staying home with children, it seems convenience and speed have put nutrition and health in the back seat. Even though the public is concerned with child obesity and children’s overall health and well-being, it is the same public that, when broken down into households, is the direct problem. Schools are now supposedly providing ‘healthier’ lunches at their institutes than parents are packing for their own children at home. Although schools are required to provide lunches that contribute one third of children’s daily nutritional value and offer options that include all five food groups, lunches from home have no guidelines to follow. Therefore, schools are now trying to rectify the problem by setting such requirements for packed lunches. However, a new debate has opened; how can a public school in a democratic nation require standards of any kind involving the freedom of being able to pack a lunch for your own child? Is this an attack on parent’s rights or an overdue slap across the face to American parents? Both sides of the debate are poised and ready to explain their side of the story. The argument at hand ...

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...ts for growing children, that would in turn open up the idea of healthier options for packed lunches. The schools could then send out letters to parents emphasizing certain food groups, such as fruits and vegetables, and offer a gardening club to parents and children. Supported on donations, such a club, could provoke a child's interest in fresh fruit and vegetables. Steps, such as these and sending out pamphlets on healthy packed lunch options with several examples for quick and easy ways to prepare a healthy lunch, may bridge the gap between schools and parents, and make it easier for parents and schools to find a middle ground on the subject. Until then, as long as the children are in the better interest of both groups, it seems the debate will likely fade out over time as small adjustments are made to the way school lunches and even packed lunches are served.