The new federal guidelines regulating school lunches are causing a stir in cafeterias across KELOLAND. Many students have turned up their noses to the new school lunches. But a Baltic mom is glad her son has less on his plate.
"We're just trying to reverse, you know keep him from getting any bigger," Cassandra Breen said.
Breen's nine-year-old son might be a good size for a football player. But she worries that at his age, weighing 130 pounds is unhealthy.
"Jeremiah sees a personal trainer," Breen said. "With working with Jeremiah with counting calories, you just don't see what's in food until you really watch."
But not everybody is happy with the new requirements. Some fear the food isn't filling up their children.
"Most of the concerns we've had are probably that they're not getting enough calories, that they're not getting filled up with the first meal they get when they go through," Baltic Superintendent Bob Sitting said.
Sitting supports the fight against childhood obesity and some parents agree with the new guidelines. Many students, though, miss the meat of the meal.
"We see a little more food thrown away than we've had in the past because they're getting different things they're not used to," Sitting said.
Other students such as Breen's son go back for seconds or thirds. Each time it's considered another meal and costs parents extra.
"If they go and eat a multiple meal, they can eat as much as they want, so there's days my son eats four meals," Breen said.
So while Breen agrees with the guidelines, she does feel there's room for improvement.
USDA officials are standing behind the new school lunch program. They're visiting schools and taking feedback and will continue evaluating the program.
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