Making School Lunch Healthy and Tasty on a Shoestring
Oakland and W. Contra Costa school districts are innovating more nutritious, less fatty meals that kids will like
Think of Jennifer LeBarre as the general of the Oakland Unified School District’s food service.
Every day, she marshals an army of 300 employees who prepare, cook, deliver and serve 21,000 lunches (and 6,500 breakfasts) to 107 schools, some with as few as 35 students and others with more than 1,000. She must devise meals for schools that have no kitchens to warm up hot food as well as those with warming ovens.
As director of the district’s nutrition service, LeBarre crafts weekly menus that she hopes will satisfy all constituents: federal and state agencies that set guidelines on student nutrition, school administrators, parents and, last but not least, her customers—the students. She must do all of this without spending more than about $1.20 for the food on
