by Mac DeKoch (Posted on April 21, 2026 @ 8:14 a.m.)

Lunch is an important part of a school day. It gives students a chance to relax and refuel for the rest of their day. However, not all students bring lunches from home, which is where school-provided lunches come in. These give students a chance to buy lunches from the school. However, there are many things that go into consideration when creating healthy school lunches for students.

What’s on the Menu

For schools to serve lunch, there must be five different types of food to choose from. According to USDA, “The menu must include fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, and milk. The fruit and vegetables are usually bowls, grains typically come as rice, meat comes most commonly in processed meat like chicken nuggets, and milk is fat-free.” All these alternatives give students a healthy variety of food on the menu.

The Standards of Meals

At schools, there are certain criteria food must meet. According to Ms. Lucas, these can vary depending on what grade you are in, but for grades 6-8, the meals must have 600-700 calories, under 10 grams of saturated fat, under 10 grams of added sugars, and under 1225 mg of sodium. These standards ensure that the school is providing healthy meals to students.

Alternative Solutions

Not all students can have the same food due to things like allergies, so the school offers a solution. Ms. Lucas states, “The school can provide other foods that fit a student’s criteria health-wise. Parents can call the school and request specifications that the student must have, such as if they have a dairy allergy, or irritation at eating certain fruits.” Doing these things allows students to feel comfortable about the foods in the cafeteria.

Then vs. Now

The school cafeteria used to be a lot different than it is now. Ms. Lucas states that the school once had a Chick-fil-A in it. However, this could cause some health problems due to the huge abundance of sugary and fried things like shakes and nuggets, so it had to be taken down. Nowadays, the school provides healthy meals students can consume on a daily basis without having to worry about health problems.

Providing “Fun” Snacks

The school wanted to provide students with healthier versions of usually unhealthy snacks, like chips. “We wanted students to still be able to enjoy the great taste of things like chips and soda, yet we wanted to integrate healthier options, like reduced-fat chips, or low-sugar soda, which is why we created the Snack Shack, and as you can see at lunch, is very popular,” Ms. Lucas said. It is great that students can still have the fun of junk food without any of the real junk at all.