This is badly needed improvement and I'm very glad the district has made such important changes.

Has the district been promoting this to the parents? I know the meals served by Sodexho were dreadful... but knowing that the food is now locally produced definitely makes me want to give another shot at more hot lunches at Huff.

The first paragraph mentions scones, pancakes and muffins for breakfast. I hope that was just a generalization and that they're serving protein for breakfast, too, like eggs and plain yogurt. The sugar in baked goods (mass-produced or locally sourced) is what we're trying to get away from, right? Overall, it sounds like a big step in the right direction.

This is so important! While my kid was at Castro Elementary I watched kids on free/reduced price lunch and breakfast program being fed so many foods that worked against their ability to stay focused and grow up with healthy eating habits. Friends would report that their children would no longer be willing to eat homemade soup, beans, oatmeal, etc because they wanted pizza and cinnamon rolls.

Getting the lunches and breakfasts to be healthy and fresh should bring more paying customers to the lunch program. MV Voice, please continue to help get news out to the community about what is being served for lunch and how it is being prepared. It will take time to turn around past impression of what is served at schools.

Kudos to the district and best wishes for Debbie Austin in her new role!

This sounds nice, but why is my elementary school child still getting Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast?

This is why we've been trying to avoid the breakfast--it seems to consist of graham crackers, sweetened cereals, etc. Where are these locally sourced items?

My son attends Monta Loma and I've got to say, the food offered is nothing like what is described here. It consists of meatballs, pizza, hamburgers and hotdogs. We had heard that the meals were prepared by a chef, nutritious etc before signing on for the lunch program but we didn't know exactly what was on the menu. Subsequently, we went back to home-prepared meals within a week of starting the program.

This kind of a menu is not teaching children moderation, how to make healthy eating choices, or encouraging them to try new foods.

To be fair, they do offer fresh fruit which is apparently sourced locally but this really isn't good enough. The bulk of the menu resembles something I'd expect to see at a fast food restaurant, it's not something any kid should be eating day in, day out.

A bigger focus needs to be put on getting kids involved in the veggie garden, as well as cooking/preparing the food themselves and learning about *truly* wholesome and nutritious foods.

Finally some positive news !I read the menus and it seems like most are cooked from scratch. Unfortunately , the dinning areas still need help in displaying the food so that kids want it.

Sounds very good, but why is my child eating hotdog on every Tuesday and Pizza on every Wednesday? Apparently, this is EVERY WEEK, since start of school year 2015. Looking at menu from the district, every months there is a new menu in PDF, however, compare month to month - they are exactly the same, except the "Month" is different.

We eat the lunches and they are delicious. I have been eating in the district for 6 years and Crittenden lunches are so much healthier than anything you can pack.