Chicago School Bans Homemade Lunches

The Little Village Academy public school in Chicago recently banned students from bringing lunches from home to school, as part of an initiative to foster healthy eating habits in young children. Only Those with allergies are permitted to brown bag it, writes the Chicago Tribune.

photo by Monica Eng

The policy was implemented 6 years ago, and it as the discretion of individual principals to implement, not the school district.

"It's about ... the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It's milk versus a Coke," Principal Elsa Carmona said. For students who do not qualify for reduced-priced or free lunches, this rule means a cost of $2.25 per child each day, a cost some parents say exceeds what the spend on a homemade lunch.


While the nutritional value of the food has improved, many kids have stopped eating at lunchtime because they say the food tastes bad. Even though kids buy the meals, many will throw them out. 


According to the Tribune, the federal government pays the school district for every lunch served, while caterers Chartwells-Thompson are paid a fee for every lunch provided.


Students have said that the school underestimates their ability to makes good food choices. "They're afraid that we'll all bring in greasy food instead of healthy food and it won't be as good as what they give us at school," student Yesenia Gutierrez said to the Tribune. "It's really lame. If we could bring in our own lunches, everyone knows what they'd bring. For example, the vegetarians could bring in their own veggie food."