Have you ever heard the saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day?” Students, especially as growing teenagers, need nutrients to function both physically and academically. Eighty percent of students in LAUSD schools are low-income, meaning they need support getting school supplies, education, and even food. The district claims they provide “nutritious meals to students by offering healthy choices” on their website. However, does this nutrition equate to food safety? 

A student at University High School was asked about her opinion on school lunches. She recalled a time when she was eating a school lunch and found plastic in it, stating, “I was disgusted when I saw it. I bit into it and felt the plastic in my mouth. I immediately spit it out. This wasn’t even a tiny piece of plastic, it was a long strip of hard plastic.” If LAUSD claims to provide such “nutritious meals,” why are students finding inedible objects in their  food? 

Another student says that when they opened a chocolate milk carton, it smelled like “something funny.” They then proceeded to pour the milk on an empty tray, and complained “my milk came out in chunks of what looked like a slimy texture.”

Students here at Uni want better and more safe lunches. When asked, 25 students agreed they wanted better lunches. This is an issue which needs to be solved in order to secure the health of students who attend school to improve their life.