School district holds taste testing challenge to improve school lunches

ATLANTA — As students prepare to go back to school, some say the lunches are so bad they do not want to eat.

Fulton County Schools is unfolding a unique idea to let students help pick the food. The district's nutrition program told Channel 2 Action News that they are aiming to have healthier but tasty school lunches for their students.

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“This is an opportunity for students from around the district to come and try potential new recipes for next school year and based on student feedback, it could be a part of our menu for next year,” said Alyssia Wright, executive director of school nutrition for Fulton County Schools.

The district held a student choice food challenge. They brought in about 130 students from within the district to taste the healthier options and give their opinions on them.

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They set up five stations with two different recipes at each station and gave the students 10 minutes at each station to test the food.

Sixth-grader Demia Jones said the event means a lot to her and her fellow classmates.

“I'm very glad because I can make the decisions on how the food is and I can make my own opinion,” Jones said.

Some students say they'll go all day without eating or ask their parents to make their lunch but with the help of this event, students will see a change.

“I will like to try new things and maybe make the school menu better,” sixth-grader Chantze Brooks said.

After the students try each recipe, they leave their feedback on iPad stations throughout the room.

“We want to create menus that our students want and what better way to do that than to bring them to one venue have students from around the district to let us know what they think,” Wright said. “This is a perfect example how Fulton County put their students first.”

This is the district's third annual student choice food challenge and they plan to keep it going.

Cox Media Group