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To get the most out of their school day, kids need healthy food options.
One El Paso, Texas school district, Socorro Independent School District, is now striving to provide students with healthier foods at both breakfast and lunch time.
According to an El Paso Times news article, the district held a workshop on January 6, 2015 to provide the community with more information on national guidelines for food items on the school’s menu.
At the workshop parents and board trustees expressed concerns about the nutritional value of some of the menu items served to students. The district’s Nutrition services Director Shelley Chenausky also announced that the district would be removing items like pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread), Pop Tarts, and donuts from the breakfast menu. At lunch time students will have healthier options such as chef salad and more fresh fruit.
Interestingly, the community meeting occurred only one month after the district received numerous complaints over a menu item they called the taco dog—a hybrid of the hot dog and crispy taco. Despite the district’s claims that the taco dog is part of a “balanced and nutritional” meal, in December 2014, when parents saw pictures of this menu item, they took to social media to protest.
According to Education News, tweets of the taco dog picture even reached famed celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver. Within days of the taco dog’s debut, the district decided to remove it from the menu.
Read more about how the district adjusted their menu here.
By The Numbers
142
Percent
Expected rise in Latino cancer cases in coming years
