School lunches have changed dramatically over the last century. What was once an optional offering of meager nourishment by the school to supplement whatever student might have brought from home has become a firm establishment nationwide, with strict standards of nutrition and accessibility. Meals served in schools are now required to be sources of both food and focus, with even school lunchroom tables being redesigned to encourage conversation and comfort for students as they chow down. Things certainly have changed since today’s grandparents attended school!
Better Food
Recent decades have seen major strides in providing consistently clean, healthy eating environments for children in American schools. Health standards maintain food safety, while the federal government mandates that children be offered balanced, wholesome food and drink as part of their school’s modern lunch and breakfast programs. Items like soft drinks, sugary snacks and high-fat foods are on the way out, while fruits, vegetables and lean proteins are seeing more of the spotlight. Children are learning to love more diverse foods than those offered to their parents or grandparents at school, and even being granted access to these meals for free during subsidized lunch and summer nutrition programs across the nation.
Better Focus
With better nutrition comes better health for students. Those who eat both an adequate breakfast and lunch perform better in school, and enjoy better mental and emotional wellbeing. All over the nation, American schools are doing their best to encourage students to eat regularly and make good nutritional choices while doing so.
Manufacturers of school lunchroom tables are designing their products with this focus in mind. Retailers of these tables, benches and chairs boast the comfort and ease of use of their furnishings, all of which are geared toward keeping students in their seats long enough to enjoy a nutritious meal. These efforts all work toward a common goal: getting better food in more stomachs, and making American schools a happier, healthier place for students.
