The Case Against Chicken Nuggets as a School Lunch
The Case Against Chicken Nuggets as a School Lunch
I just came back from presenting at Expo West; the Natural/Organic Show where the Natural/Organic industry presents their products over one million feet of floor space. Last year when I was at the show, the item that made me crazy was organic gummy bears, this year it was chicken nuggets. Before I “rail” about nuggets, here’s some history and facts about them, the items of note are that they were developed by a food scientist, as opposed to a farmer or producer and the most renown of them, Chicken McNuggets has 38 ingredients most of which I can’t pronounce nor would I ever cook with.
The chicken nugget is a meat product that was invented in the 1950s by Robert C. Baker, a food science professor at Cornell University, and published as unpatented academic work.[1] Dr. Baker’s innovations made it possible to form chicken nuggets in any shape. McDonald’s recipe for Chicken McNuggets was created on commission from McDonald’s by Tyson Foods in 1979 and the product was sold beginning in 1980.
A ruling in 2003 in a lawsuit brought against McDonald’s on behalf of a group of obese teenagers cataloged the 38 ingredients in a Chicken McNugget.[2]
So back to my “railing.” In all of the schools that we work with, we jettison chicken nuggets from the menus, which are one of, if not the most served menu item in schools. In fact a menu of chicken nuggets, tater tots, canned fruit cocktail and chocolate milk (they may include high fructose corn syrup and added trans-fats) meets the USDA guidelines for a reimbursable meal.
One of the reasons that the chicken nugget/tater tot menu is so popular in schools is that the nuggets count as both a protein and a grain under the USDA guidelines and the tater tots count as the vegetable. UGH… so why wouldn’t we serve chicken, a whole grain roll and brocooli?
The reason that we remove the ubiquitous chicken nuggets is not that they contain so many chemicals and are so unhealthy, (we could make them ourselves from scratch), but because they are basically a marketing ploy to teach kids to demand “kids food.” I’m pretty sure that all chickens have bones and to have grown a generation of children that think chicken nuggets is a food group, is unconscionable. Further, we have now taught a generation of children that their “kid food” should be eaten by hand or if any utensil is used at all in schools – it’s a spork.
In fact Sporks are the traditional utensil used in both schools and jails, because if all food can be eaten by hand, then you don’t even need to teach kids to use silverware, a thought that I find scary, whatever happened to sitting down and eating as a family – this is just one more mile we have moved away from the “table.”
Michele Lawrence, a former superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District, talks about educating the whole child for the whole day, which to me means that the cafeteria and the food that we feed our children in school is part of their education. So we have a choice, do we teach children that chicken is shaped like a heart, star, giraffe or dinosaur, or do we teach our children that chicken is chicken, a bird that pecks and roams and that has bones. If we want a more sustainable food world for our children, if we believe in natural, organic, local and healthy – then why would we teach our children to eat chicken nuggets – a surely unsustainable food choice.
In a sustainable food world, we’d trade that Styrofoam tray of chicken nuggets, tater tots, canned fruit cocktail and chocolate milk for roast chicken, roast potatoes, whole grain roll, fresh fruit, salad bar and organic milk – perhaps then we’d really teach our children what real food is.
I object to the implied message that anything invented by a food scientist is bad. I’ve eaten food prepared by farmers and, in my limited experience, I generally prefer food prepared by just about anyone else.
Anyone skeptical about the value of food science should check out Cookwise, a textbook of the science of food. It is incredibly interesting and helps people understand the chemistry and biochemistry of cooking.
Beyond this, an excellent piece.
Yes, indeed. I agree that we parents do have the responsibility to teach the kids what is healthy and to also provide them with real and wholesome food and also to make time to spend quality time and to also eat those daily meals as a family. Healthy food needs to also be made accessible and provided by the schools and junk foods have to be banned from campuses, because children are easily manipulated into choosing bad options and are thus at the mercy of toxic fare and the big Food Incorporated behind the scene schemes as to make more money from it all, and at the expense of our childrens’ HEALTH and LIFE. Schools need to step up to the challenge and provide a safe place for our children in all aspects, just like we parents are to do too. It is imperative if we want to really work for the well being of our children – our future – our nation!
Well said! I especially like: “educating the whole child for the whole day, which to me means that the cafeteria and the food that we feed our children in school is part of their education.” I support real food and real silverware.
I’ve heard excuses like… the kids won’t eat it if it’s healthy. Well IMHO, if you start the kids young they will eat it and why not offer a healthy snack if you are worried they are not eating and hungry (like peanut butter and apples or yogurt or whole fresh fruit for snacks while kids adjust) offer incentives (stickers, extra recess time) for kids to try new menu items… etc.
On a side note..
roast chicken, roast potatoes, whole grain roll, fresh fruit, salad bar and organic milk does sound yummy.
just lighten up. I’m sure most kids realize that chickens are not shaped like a nugget.