For students who do not eat meat, whether that be for moral, health or other reasons, eating school lunch is not easy.

School lunches are predominantly made up of meat: a roadblock to a happy and healthy meal for these students.  There are some meatless choices at lunch, but these options are usually not the most nutritious or affordable.  For example, a yogurt parfait costs $1.50 and one slice of pizza costs $2. DHS needs to make a better effort to include meatless meals in lunches to help cater to more students’ dietary needs.  

For vegetarian students who cannot bring their own food to eat, school lunch presents a problem: will they eat the meat on the menu and compromise their personal needs or beliefs, or will they buy a less nutritious and affordable lunch?  

A main factor of preventing students to bring their lunch to school is money.  Food from the grocery store can be an expensive luxury that not all families can afford.  However, food provided at school lunch is a more affordable option, and for some students, lunch is their only meal for the day.  

What are vegetarian students who cannot bring their lunch going to eat? The meatless options seem to be all on the a la carte menu, which is more expensive than the regular menu.

A solution would be having meals like fish more frequently or adding veggie burgers to the everyday main menu. On days where I haven’t had time or forgot to bring my own lunch to eat, I had limited selections to choose from.  Chips and yogurt aren’t substantial enough to keep a growing teenager full throughout the day.  On these days when I do forget to pack my own food, the money in my lunch account is drained by the expensive meatless food.      

If they had options like these at lunch, those students without a lunch won’t have to rely on unhealthy or expensive options. Even having options like fish or meatless burgers just once a week would have a positive outcome.

By adding more vegetarian-inclusive options to the menu, school lunch can be something that more people can enjoy.