Peanut butter and jelly sandwich got you down at the lunch table?
Can’t stand to stomach the crust from another cheese and bologna rollover?
Have no fear: Janet Allen and her array of enticing school lunch menus can change that attitude.
‘One of my favorite things is working with the menu,? Allen, food service supervisor for Clarkston Community Schools, said.
Allen oversees the menus for the elementary, middle and high schools in Clarkston, as well as before and after school food programs.
Today’s choices in the cafeteria would make any hungry student excited for lunch.
Whipped potatoes, cheesy breadsticks, veggie sticks and dip, pizza wedges and carrot coins are just a few of the choices students can pick from on current lunch menus.
Creating menus for the schools is an important, and rewarding, aspect of Allen’s role.
‘We provide 1/3 of the day’s calories,? Allen said.
Food in the schools is broken down by school category. Clarkston High School is its own entity, ordering and preparing their own food right on site at the school. The middle and elementary school food is prepped ahead of time and shipped to each individual school for final preparation.
More than 3,000 students are served each day in Clarkston.
While the names for menu items might sound strange, a school lunch must still meet government guidelines and regulations, according to Allen.
‘You have to have 2 ounces of bread and protein each, 1/2 cup vegetables, 1/4 cup fruit and some milk,? Allen said. ‘It’s always hardest to get the kids to take their vegetable.?
Each day students always have choices of which menu items they can pick from. Every school has regular choices that never change, such as salad bars or turkey hot dogs. However, students are required to take a specific number items every day to qualify their meal as ‘lunch?.
Not only does Allen have to make sure menu selections meet governmental guidelines, she also has to offer interesting food items that students will want to eat.
‘I go from popular choices and talk with our grocer to see what the new items are,? Allen said.
Popular choices are chicken nuggets and pizza, whereas the veggie burger and some international cuisines have had a short-lived careers in Clarkston cafeterias.
‘Everything is fair game,? Allen said. ‘I’m always willing to try different things. But if it’s not pizza, sometimes it’s hard for them to like it.?
School food selections have come under fire recently throughout the nation as child obesity rates continue to rise. Clarkston is not exempt from such concerns.
‘We’re under a lot of scrutiny due to obesity,? Allen said. ‘It’s a misconception of school lunches that they’re fattening. Lunch is about 600 or more calories. It’s no more than 30 percent fat and 1,200 milligrams sodium.?
Allen has been working with parent groups at the schools recently to try and change those attitudes.
A la carte menus will soon see additional healthier options arrive to combat worries that potato chips are a bad choice for young children at lunch.
‘Our vendors are responding to the trend with healthy options,? Allen said.
Currently the elementary schools offer cookies, various baked goods, string cheese and yogurts, just to name a few, to students as lunch selections in addition to the standard meal.
Options in the cafeteria reflect current trends in national eating habits, according to Allen. Clarkston school menus do not offer any products based around peanut butter due to the growing amount of children allergic to the food. Low carbohydrate and vegetarian options are more prevalent at the high school level as well.
Even milk products are being modified as more individuals have developed lactose intolerances.
‘The concerns come from both trends and parents,? Allen said. ‘But at any level, we can accommodate.?
Paying for lunch has even changed over the years. Clarkston students have the option of using debit cards to pay for their meals. Parents may put selected amounts on the card for students to use instead of cash.
Allen would like to see an Internet aspect included in the program so that parents could have an even easier time managing a student’s prepaid account.
‘We’ve received great feedback about the cards over the past six to seven years,? Allen said. ‘Not every district has them.?
Food service is not limited to lunch. Allen’s department also provides breakfast in four of the district’s buildings and also has an in-district catering option for events.
Overall, Allen has seen a growth in choices and variety in the school program over the past 10 years and believes that trend will continue for the future.
With all the changes to menu items such as the appearance of pineapple tidbits and french toast sticks, one cafeteria staple is still a popular choice over the years: tater tots.