By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Schoolchildren will eat healthier starting in the fall.
They’ll also pay more for it.
Kathy Major, general manager of Sodexo Management, the school district’s food service company, described changes embodied in a new federal law that will bring more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to the school lunch menu while limiting foods with higher levels of saturated and trans fats and sodium.
Unfortunately, Ms. Major said, fresher fruits and veggies are more expensive.
And because Hillsborough offers meals cheaper than what the federal government considers minimum price, the school board had to increase the price of meals.
Elementary schools will see the price increase 25 cents to $2.35, and intermediate and middle schoolers will see the price go to $2.50, also up 25 cents.
At the high school, the price will rise 10 cents, up to $2.50.
The food program must pay for itself under state law. The program can’t run at a loss, with a subsidy from the general budget making up the difference.
Menus will meet guidelines for the amount of meat (or meat alternative). Fruits and vegetables will increase to two full cups per meal, opposed to the current half-cup.
All breads must be whole grain.
Milk will have no more than 1 percent fat, Ms. Major said.
Students also will see vegetables, like kale or collard or spinach, with which they may be unfamiliar, she said. That might lead to a lot of waste in the beginning of the year as students get used to the offerings, she said.
She acknowledged the taste and kinds of food will be different and said the food service will lead a series of education programs, including ones at back-to-school nights and Home-School Association meetings.

