By TESS SILVERMAN and JESSY SIEGMANN
Jericho School District recently made a change to its lunch program, replacing in-house meal preparation with outside service provider Aramark.
Assistant Superintendent of Business Affairs Mr. Manuel said, “We had our own employees, our own director, and we had to purchase our own food.”
Due to COVID-19, there were many food shortages, making it harder for Jericho to get necessary ingredients. Mr. Manuel added, “We decided to keep our own employees, except hire a contractor—in this case, Aramark, who’s a nationwide food service provider for schools, and they weren’t affected as much with food shortages because they are so large.”
This change allows Jericho to plan their meals monthly, as opposed to weekly, since Aramark knows its incoming food stock.
Aramark has different divisions which include sports arenas and office coffee. One division is student nutrition, which falls under cafeteria services.
The new Director of the School Lunch Program Ms. Michielini explained that the food Aramark provides will be healthier for students. She said, “Our chicken tender is a Tyson chicken tender which is a better quality because it is a whole muscle meat. It’s going to look more like a chicken tender you would get at a restaurant.”
Jericho students who regularly eat school lunch have had positive feedback regarding the change. Junior Jack P. said, “I like the new food better because you have more options for lunch.”
According to a JerEcho survey, students especially enjoy the new pizza option and brunch for lunch which includes French toast sticks and waffles.
Freshman Wayland X. said, “Pizza is a good replacement if the school lunch is bad.”
Sophomore Dylan C. said, “The French toast sticks are a solid 8 out of 10.”
Compared to the old food, 55% of survey respondents report the new food is better.
English teacher Mr. Kirby also enjoys school lunches. He particularly appreciates the new provider’s nutritional improvements. “The vegetables are better and there are healthier options,” he said.
In the future, students want more vegetarian options and more variety of foods from different cultures. Though there are improvements to be made, the new lunch program is a step towards improving Jericho students’ nutrition and health.