As of January 2020, the Trump administration introduced a new proposal for school lunches across the United States. This plan essentially rolls back Michelle Obama’s school lunch program by limiting the number of people who receive federal food stamps. According to USA Today, his proposal would cause an estimated one million children to lose access to free lunches.
“I think people should have access to food stamps because I know many people aren’t privileged enough or don’t have the same opportunities as other people to get the same things. So I think if in some way, someone can help them, it’s good,” sophomore Cynthia Torres said.
In addition to reducing the number of people receiving food stamps, this proposal also changes the requirements for fruits and vegetables in school lunches, decreasing the amount of nutrients and healthy options in their meals.
“I have seen many pictures online, on social media where kids’ lunches are taken away just because they are a couple cents short, and instead they give them something else, or just nothing at all,” Torres said. “But maybe that’s their only meal of the day, so I think even if it’s their only lunch at school, it should be something healthy.”
According to thehill.com, this proposal will pave the way for greasier, more unhealthy options being provided in cafeterias, which is a problem for low-income students who are more likely to receive their only healthy meal during the school day.
“I think that his plan is bad, the kids need the proper nutrition for their meals,” sophomore Dylan Petz said.
According to the Department of Agriculture, 29.7 million students in the U.S. eat free or reduced lunches every day, and the cuts from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could cause up to three million people to lose their food stamps, taking away free lunches for those children.
“If their only healthy meal is at school it should be something good,” Torres said. “Kids deserve a good meal.”