IN A better world, food that is better for young people would cost less, not more. Since that’s not the case, though, a modest increase in the price of school lunch and breakfast is well justified.
Both the Mobile County and Baldwin County school boards have voted to raise the price of lunch and breakfast by 25 cents, to cover the additional cost of federal requirements for healthier meals in public schools.
Healthier lunches include more whole grains and more fruits and vegetables.
Some people may see the changes as another case of federal government over-regulation, but the government also covers much of the cost. Why should the government pay for meals that could aggravate childhood obesity and health conditions that plague children and adults alike?
Effective next school year, elementary students in Mobile and Baldwin counties will pay $2 for lunch and older students will pay $2.25. Breakfast will be $1.25.
That’s still a bargain.
Many students won’t even pay that much, of course, because they qualify for free or reduced-price meals, subsidized by the federal government. In Mobile County, 70 percent of the students fall into those categories.
For many children living in poverty, breakfast and lunch at school will be the best — and possibly only — meals they get all day. Good nutrition is even more important for these kids, who also need to learn good eating habits in spite of their family circumstances.