There are many food options in the school cafeteria: the pasta bar, the salad bar, and other hot lunch meals. There are also many options in the school cafe: The Grind. But are these options really the healthiest options for students? Do students at the school enjoy buying and eating the same thing for lunch every day?

Sophomore Finley Karr said the school lunches are “impressive” due to the amounts of options provided, but also thinks there could be improvements. 

“What would make the school lunches better would be including more days with popular food items. For example, curly fries, popcorn chicken, and whatever else is popular,” said Karr.

 A lot of the options available in the cafeteria are not only there because they are the types of food that students like, but also because these options sell the most and therefore make the most money for the school.

“Ultimately, the district has the final say on what options are available to students. It is based on many factors such as student and staff feedback, what has been popular in the past, what is selling, and any considerations of supply chain disruptions,” said food service director Jay Herr.

Although it is important to keep in consideration what is being purchased most by students, it is also important to have good quality food. The salad bar may be one of the healthier options available, but is it truly the best quality?

“I would like to see an updated salad bar with fresher ingredients and fresher meat,” said Karr. 

Some people don’t use the salad bar because they think the ingredients are not always fresh. If the lunch providers would focus on serving better ingredients for healthier options – and not just the popular food items – the lunch food would be higher quality and more appealing to students who desire healthier options. 

Instead of options like pasta, chicken, and fries, options such as salads, quality fresh fruits, and protein bars would be much healthier for students.

Students who have sports after school often need to buy a snack before practice. They usually end up buying a bag of chips, a muffin, or even candy as the school does not provide other healthier snacks. 

To fix this issue of unhealthy, poor-quality food, Quest should contact the student body.

If the school provides food options that don’t just make money – but are better quality, healthier options, then ultimately our lunch room will be much better improved.