The stereotype of school food is that it is not particularly good. Many pupils decide against having school food because it does not look or taste appealing. However, not all students have the luxury of not having school food as they do not have the facilities to create a packed lunch or purchase one at the shop.  

This is not however, the fault of the lunch staff as they are doing the best, they can with what they have, and they must provide food for school children. They do not have much of a choice in what they are making.  

We have produced many solutions to the problems that school lunches present themselves with, but before we get to the solution, we must inform you of the issues. These include lack of variety, running out of food, off-putting looks, defrosted food, and unsanitary tables and/or floor. 

The problem of running out of food could be easily solved by a simple solution of pre-ordering food before the school day. This is so that you have a chance to decide if you want school food, prepare, and create less waste. This, in the long run, will be immensely helpful in saving money and reducing wastage. Saving money would mean that the school could create more options for pupils’ lunches and health. 

The appearance of school food is not always great, though the main factor in that is that the food is frozen. We understand that fresh food can be expensive and can be difficult to come by, especially because of our location. Again, this is not the school’s fault, and we are aware that there is not a lot that can be done. One way of helping solve this problem would be to use the fruit and vegetables that we are currently growing in our Polytunnel. This solution would be inexpensive and would get students involved in the process of creating their lunches. 

Overall, we have brought to light problems and have provided some solutions that we think could solve some of the issues we find school foods have. However, in this school the problems are not major, and we hope they could be easily fixed.  

By Hannah, Mahoney and Lily (S3)