Towards the end of October, a new change was implemented in the daily Needham High Cafeteria lunch options; I don’t often get lunch from the cafeteria, but on a random Tuesday I decided to not pack lunch. The main lunch on the right side of the cafeteria did not appeal to me, so I made my way over to the left to get one of the daily lunch options. As I waited in line I calculated my options. Should I get a salad or wrap? Maybe a sandwich, or rather, should I get pizza? Still unsure with what my final decision would be, I moved with the mass of hungry students observing the lunch options. As I made my way towards the area where the grab-able pizza was available every day, I noticed the usually packed area was not as crowded as it typically would be. I also began to hear murmurs of disapproval and confusion. Intrigued, I made my way to the front of the area. I was surprised to see that where the pizza usually was there was an array of hamburgers and other similar style sandwiches. Along with that was a sign noting that the cafeteria would no longer be serving pizza on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A bit disappointed that I had lost a lunch option for the day, I ended up choosing a salad instead.
When I returned back to math class after lunch, many students around me were discussing the change. I even overheard one student complain that she had not found anything to eat for lunch. Other students like myself didn't seem to mind the change and had been content enough to find a different lunch option.
Helen Hays, a sophomore at NHS was somewhat irritated by these changes, especially because she does not like many of the other lunch options. She stated that she “had to go through multiple lunch options'' before finding something else she was willing to eat, which used up much of her lunch period. She also claimed that she has had to spend more money on other lunch options because the ones she will gravitate towards are not free.
Another sophomore, Juna Banks who stated “On days when there is no pizza I just go out to lunch,” adding to the consensus that students can't seem to find any other edible options in the cafeteria on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
One more sophomore student also claimed, “as a vegetarian there's not always a lot of options that don't include meat. Most of the wraps and sandwiches, besides one or two, have meat in them.” Some other students also added that although they know there are vegetarian options they aren't usually out and they have to specifically ask for them which they feel somewhat awkward doing. I have noticed many of the salads and wraps have chicken in them, but there are also other side options that do not contain meat that can be put on the meatless salads. Still, many vegetarian students seem to have a harder time finding lunch options, and the removal of pizza twice a week has made some feel a bit more restricted in their options.
In order to get down to the core of where this change began, I interviewed the Needham heads of nutrition; Emily Murphy and Jen Tuttelman, who were very helpful in clearing up some common misconceptions and questions students have brought up.
I asked why the pizza was taken away in the first place and the exact reason for the elimination. Ms. Murphy started off by saying “so first it started with a labor situation in the kitchen where the staff were not able to keep up with the demands of the pizza.” She then added that although this issue had come forth it was honestly “a blessing in disguise because it's healthy for students to eat a variety of foods in their diet.” Ms. Murphy expanded on this a little bit more, saying that although pizza can be part of a healthy diet, it is not healthy to consume it every day since young, growing bodies need a variety of nutrients each day, clarifying pizza everyday is not sufficient for that.
Ms. Murphy also said another reason they decided to cut pizza back was to “encourage students to try new things, new meals, new options, instead of always taking pizza or multiple slices of pizza.” She concluded that they realized that if the pizza was always out, then that would be the option students most often took instead of branching out and trying new options that they could enjoy just as much and could be even healthier. Ms. Murphy was also very adamant about the fact that pizza definitely does fit into a healthy diet, but moderation is also key in order to lead a balanced lifestyle. Ms. Tuttelman and Ms. Murphy also noted that there is less wasted food when pizza is not available everyday since students are motivated to grab other items.
I next brought up the concerns on the vegetarian options, or lack of, as some students pointed out. Ms. Tuttelman was very clear in explaining that the cafeteria always has vegetarian options, they just aren't as visible as the meat ones. Almost every time the main lunch consists of meat, there is in fact a vegetarian substitute. Even though that option is available, it is not often taken or asked for and ends up being wasted. The salad bar always has vegetarian options, tofu, beans, veggies, chickpeas etc, but a lot of the time students don't utilize those options either. Overall, Ms. Tuttelman is aware of the fact that the vegetarian options don't necessarily stand out, but they are 100% there each day and those students may just have to be a bit more outgoing when looking or even asking for different choices.
One of my final questions for Ms. Murphy and Ms. Tuttelman asked if this was a temporary change. Both Ms. Murphy and Ms. Tuttleman seemed to agree upon the fact that for the time being this change will stay, and they have no urgent intentions to bring back the pizza every day. Their main goal with this menu change is to encourage students to try an abundance of new and healthy foods, and have something they enjoy eating everyday for lunch even if it is not pizza. Although they are confident that this change is for the best, they are very open to suggestions, concerns or feedback from anyone part of the student body. They asked me to include their emails:
emily_murphy@Needham.k12.ma.us
jen_tuttelman@Needham.k12.ma.us
Both would be more than happy to hear questions and take any feedback into account because they want the students, as the consumers, to feel they have a voice and can contribute to making changes happen in the cafeteria.
So, although it does not look like pizza is going to be available in the cafeteria more than three days a week anymore, just like Ms. Murphy and Ms. Tuttleman said, there may be a lot more positives than negatives to this and it's time for students to branch out to new options for lunch. So next time you find yourself buying lunch in the cafeteria on a Tuesday or Thursday and you feel overwhelmed and unsure about what to get because there's no pizza, instead of getting nothing or a meager amount of food, try something new or ask for the vegetarian option. You never know, you may find your new favorite cafeteria lunch that does not consist of pizza.