Last week I observed the lunch service at El Marino with CCUSD Food Service Director Julie Garcia and Principal Tracy Pumilia with about 10 other parents. I encountered two very pleasant surprises.
1. Many many kids stopped by a beautiful salad bar and added what Food Service Director Julie Garcia referred to as "natural color" to their trays.
2. Most of those same trays are separated from trash and are recycled. Both kids and the supervising staff were conscientious about making sure these trays made it into the correct bin.
The flip side to these observations is that many many kids bypassed the beautiful salad bar and left the line with no natural color on their plate - none was offered on the line which began w/ an option for chocolate milk and ended with an option for chocolate chip cookies AND that hundreds of styrofoam trays are used once and then sent for recycling every day because it's a cheaper, sturdier and easier option compared with a paper based tray or a reusable tray. Sigh.
Tours are being led at the other 4 elementary schools this week and next and of the central kitchen the week following. Then parents will be able to sit down with district staff to discuss their concerns in a much more informed manner.
