Signal 1 — NYC School Lunches

City school districts have roughly “$1.25 per head (after labor and equipment costs)” to feed students during lunch. An alarmingly low amount to feed children healthy, well balanced meals. As a product of the NYC Public Schools, I can attest to the tasteless and uninspired grub served in City lunchrooms. I think the efforts of Dan Giusti showcase an effort in how he uses resources efficiently without the analysis of effective food sourcing and food waste data (food quality parameter). What interested me the most was how we could use data analysis to highlight trends and inefficiencies: locally sourcing food (i.e. Euclidean allocation) or creating waste analysis to see trends in adolescent eating to supplement the work of lunchroom staff.

The impact of such programs is immense by offering students healthy, tasty meals which is known to help increase student productivity, promote a healthy lifestyle (preventative healthcare), and excite their curiosity in where food originates. Cooking meals from scratch with fresh products gives staff applicable skills outside of the cafeteria and help instill ownership in their product. School districts should continue promoting initiatives like this, take steps to increase efficiency and increase overall funding for school lunches.

~Max B-H

#signal1 #CUSP

Haigney, S. (2018, September 04). Meet the Chef Who Wants to Transform NYC School Lunch. Retrieved September 7, 2018, from https://www.citylab.com/life/2018/09/can-this-chef-solve-the-problem-of-school-lunch/568990/