Students unhappy with new school menus in Roswell

5/11/2014

Created: 05/06/2014 5:37 PM
By: Lauren Hansard, KOB Eyewitness News 4

Thanks to First Lady Michelle Obama, school lunches are required to be a lot healthier.

But that’s not going over so well in Roswell.

Especially for one particular menu item which kids are refusing to eat.

Whole grains are supposed to make up more than half of students’ lunches.

And kids are having a rough time getting used to it.    

“The macaroni that's whole grain, it's hard to get it to be acceptable. For spaghetti, everybody used to love that meal, it's hard to make it acceptable," said Food Service Director Lyman Graham.

But even worse, burrito day.

“The number one item they fuss about is the whole grain tortilla, they just do not like it," said Graham.

“We wish they were back to normal tortillas, regular tortillas, not wheat tortillas,” said Roswell High School Senior Victor Hernandez.

“Just the way they look is unappealing to me,” said Roswell High School Senior Daniel Dillard.

“The way they smell, there’s no tasting,” said Hernandez.

“They’re just very brown, they don't have the same texture, they're very slimy. And so when they're rolled into a burrito, and held a little while, the kids eat the filling out and throw the tortillas," said Graham.

Which Graham says is costing the district big time.

“The federal government is wasting money, the tax payer is wasting money, and it does cost the school district money," said Graham.

For a majority of the kids, if they’re not eating the meal, they’re not eating at all.

“Nobody eats anymore, and it's a waste of food, we just throw it away,” said Dillard.

“Lots of people don't even go to the cafeteria or something to eat,” said Hernandez.

“And if they do, most people are throwing half their tray away, like I do it all the time," said Dillard.

The Roswell school district has asked Congress multiple times to be a bit more flexible, to no avail.

"I personally don't eat nothing at school, I wait until I get home to eat because I just don't like it," said Hernandez.

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