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The cold truth about hot lunch: School meal programs are running out of food and workers
Business
The cold truth about hot lunch: School meal programs are running out of food and workers
Last year, American school districts pivoted to accommodate pandemic challenges. The USDA is leaping in with a new round of funding to help schools with supply and staffing shortages.
By Laura Reiley
Today at 11:58 a.m. EDT
Square pizza and chicken tenders suddenly get swapped for meatloaf and zucchini coins. American schoolchildren and lunch ladies grimace. And now the federal government is stepping in to help.
School districts in Kansas can’t get whole-wheat flour, ranch dressing or Crispitos rolled tacos right now. In Dallas, they can’t put their hands on flatware, plates and napkins. In New York, school districts are unable to find antibiotic-free chicken, condiments or carrots.
With the school year in full swing, product shortfalls, delivery delays and labor shortages have pushed the nation’s public school meal programs to a crisis point. It’s the same economic forces plaguing other industries, but the stakes are higher: Many low-income American children get the majority of their nutrition from school meals.
The crisis has drawn the attention of the U.S. Agriculture Department, with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announcing $1.5 billion in funding Wednesday to help beleaguered school meal programs cope with labor and food shortages. Lunch ladies everywhere rejoice. However, experts are unsure whether this is sufficient to resolve the problems.
{snip}
By Laura Reiley
Laura Reiley is the business of food reporter. She was previously a food critic at the Tampa Bay Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Baltimore Sun. She has authored four books, has cooked professionally and is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy. She is a two-time James Beard finalist and in 2017 was a Pulitzer finalist. Twitter https://twitter.com/lreiley
The cold truth about hot lunch: School meal programs are running out of food and workers
Last year, American school districts pivoted to accommodate pandemic challenges. The USDA is leaping in with a new round of funding to help schools with supply and staffing shortages.
By Laura Reiley
Today at 11:58 a.m. EDT
Square pizza and chicken tenders suddenly get swapped for meatloaf and zucchini coins. American schoolchildren and lunch ladies grimace. And now the federal government is stepping in to help.
School districts in Kansas can’t get whole-wheat flour, ranch dressing or Crispitos rolled tacos right now. In Dallas, they can’t put their hands on flatware, plates and napkins. In New York, school districts are unable to find antibiotic-free chicken, condiments or carrots.
With the school year in full swing, product shortfalls, delivery delays and labor shortages have pushed the nation’s public school meal programs to a crisis point. It’s the same economic forces plaguing other industries, but the stakes are higher: Many low-income American children get the majority of their nutrition from school meals.
The crisis has drawn the attention of the U.S. Agriculture Department, with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announcing $1.5 billion in funding Wednesday to help beleaguered school meal programs cope with labor and food shortages. Lunch ladies everywhere rejoice. However, experts are unsure whether this is sufficient to resolve the problems.
{snip}
By Laura Reiley
Laura Reiley is the business of food reporter. She was previously a food critic at the Tampa Bay Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Baltimore Sun. She has authored four books, has cooked professionally and is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy. She is a two-time James Beard finalist and in 2017 was a Pulitzer finalist. Twitter https://twitter.com/lreiley
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Yup
